Ranked list · 20 careers
20 Jobs for Book Lovers, Ranked by Fit and Pay (2026)
Library Science Teacher, Postsecondary tops this list at $80,340 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with +2.7% projected employment change over 2025–2035. Below are 20 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.
- Careers on this list
- 20From 1,731 in the bank
- Median pay on the list
- $68,270BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Projected to grow
- 6 of 20BLS EP, 2025–2035
- Openings a year
- 242,500Combined, BLS EP
Method
How we built this list
Careers working with books and reading: librarians, editors, archivists, book designers, literary agents and the people who teach literature. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages.
- Careers working with books and reading: librarians, editors, archivists, book designers, literary agents and the people who teach literature. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages.
- Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
- The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.
The list
The top 20 jobs for book lovers
100% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.
- 1
1. Library Science Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $80,340median a year
- Growth
- +2.7%
- Openings / yr
- 300
- Education
- Doctorate
Teach courses in library science.
- 2
2. English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $78,760median a year
- Growth
- 0.0%
- Openings / yr
- 4,500
- Education
- Doctorate
Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature.
- 3
3. Book Editor
Specialty within editor
- Median pay
- $77,920median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- −1.1%
- Openings / yr
- 7,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Acquires manuscripts for a publishing house and works with authors to shape them into finished books.
- 4
4. Librarian
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $68,270median a year
- Growth
- +2.6%
- Openings / yr
- 12,600
- Education
- Master's
Administer and maintain libraries or collections of information, for public or private access through reference or borrowing.
- 5
5. Special Collections Librarian
Specialty within librarian
- Median pay
- $68,270median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +2.6%
- Openings / yr
- 12,600
- Education
- Master's
Builds, cares for and teaches with collections of rare books, manuscripts, maps and other historical materials at a library.
- 6
6. Book Conservator
Specialty within museum technician and conservator
- Median pay
- $51,440median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +3.6%
- Openings / yr
- 1,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Repairs and preserves rare books, manuscripts, maps and documents using traditional bookbinding skills and conservation science.
- 7
7. Audiobook Narrator
Specialty within broadcast announcer and radio disc jockey
- Median pay
- $47,340median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- −7.6%
- Openings / yr
- 2,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
Performs and records complete books as audiobooks, voicing narration and characters for publishers and authors.
- 8
8. Library Technician
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $44,580median a year
- Growth
- −6.4%
- Openings / yr
- 10,800
- Education
- Certificate
Assist librarians by helping readers in the use of library catalogs, databases, and indexes to locate books and other materials; and by answering questions that require only brief consultation of standard reference.
- 9
9. Print Binding and Finishing Worker
Production
- Median pay
- $42,290median a year
- Growth
- −17.5%
- Openings / yr
- 2,300
- Education
- High school
Bind books and other publications or finish printed products by hand or machine.
- 10
10. Library Assistant, Clerical
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $36,910median a year
- Growth
- −6.4%
- Openings / yr
- 12,300
- Education
- High school
Compile records, and sort, shelve, issue, and receive library materials such as books, electronic media, pictures, cards, slides and microfilm.
- 11
11. Editor
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $77,920median a year
- Growth
- −1.1%
- Openings / yr
- 7,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material.
- 12
12. Ghostwriter
Specialty within writer and author
- Median pay
- $76,910median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- −0.3%
- Openings / yr
- 11,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Writes books, articles and memoirs that are published under someone else's name, working from interviews with the credited author.
- 13
13. Poet, Lyricist and Creative Writer
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $76,910median a year
- Growth
- −0.3%
- Openings / yr
- 11,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Create original written works, such as scripts, essays, prose, poetry or song lyrics, for publication or performance.
- 14
14. Writer and Author
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $76,910median a year
- Growth
- −0.3%
- Openings / yr
- 11,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.
- 15
15. Law Librarian
Specialty within librarian
- Median pay
- $68,270median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +2.6%
- Openings / yr
- 12,600
- Education
- Master's
Manages legal research collections and databases and teaches lawyers, judges, students and the public how to find the law.
- 16
16. Orchestra Librarian
Specialty within librarian
- Median pay
- $68,270median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- +2.6%
- Openings / yr
- 12,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Prepares, marks and manages the sheet music an orchestra, opera or ballet company plays, making sure every musician has the right parts.
- 17
17. Reading Specialist
Specialty within elementary school teacher
- Median pay
- $63,970median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- −0.4%
- Openings / yr
- 87,500
- Education
- Master's
A certified teacher who assesses struggling readers, delivers targeted reading intervention and coaches other teachers on literacy.
- 18
18. Type Designer
Specialty within graphic designer
- Median pay
- $62,960median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- −1.7%
- Openings / yr
- 16,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
Designs typefaces and fonts for brands, publishers, software and the type foundries that license them.
- 19
19. Children's Book Illustrator
Specialty within fine artist, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators
- Median pay
- $55,490median (parent occupation)
- Growth
- −2.9%
- Openings / yr
- 2,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
Creates illustrations for picture books, early readers and middle-grade novels published for children.
- 20
20. Proofreader and Copy Marker
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $51,120median a year
- Growth
- −0.9%
- Openings / yr
- 1,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
Read transcript or proof type setup to detect and mark for correction any grammatical, typographical, or compositional errors.
Questions
Jobs for Book Lovers: FAQ
What is the top career on the jobs for book lovers list?
Library Science Teacher, Postsecondary leads the list with a median wage of $80,340 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of +2.7% over 2025–2035. Typical entry-level education is doctorate.
How was this list put together?
Careers working with books and reading: librarians, editors, archivists, book designers, literary agents and the people who teach literature. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Careers working with books and reading: librarians, editors, archivists, book designers, literary agents and the people who teach literature. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and O*NET 31.0 Database.
How much do jobs for book lovers pay?
Across the 20 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $68,270 a year, from $36,910 at the bottom to $80,340 at the top (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.
How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?
4 of the 20 careers on this list have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree: a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).