Ability to Multitask

• To do the job well, editors often work beyond a regular schedule, says Larry Ragan, of "Ragan's PR Daily Europe." With many tasks to juggle, editors must also be good problem-solvers to keep projects running on time. These pressures are felt even more keenly in publishing, where multiple drafts come their way, according to Viking Penguin senior editor Beena Kamlani. For these reasons, there is little or no time to learn on the job, Kamlani told "Writer's Digest" in February 2008.
  
  

Advanced Communications Skills

• Supervising a writer's work is an editor's major task. To accomplish that goal, editors must show advanced communication, grammar, punctuation and spelling skills. A bachelor's degree or higher is required to develop competency in those areas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most editors are also present and former writers, enabling further insights into a writer's intentions. Additional formal academic training and work experience may be needed for specialized areas such as textbook and fashion editors, the BLS says.
  
  

Sound Editorial Judgment

• A keen copyediting and proofreading eye is not the only prerequisite for success. Editors must develop sound judgment to detect instances of plagiarism that can lead to employee terminations and messy court battles against the company, says Silas Reed for the publishingcrossing.com website. An ability to detect glaring factual errors is a must. Above all else, good editors must develop tact and diplomacy to work successfully with authors and coworkers in pushing projects to conclusion, says the BLS.
  
  

Tolerance for Rejection

• Editors are not all-powerful within their organizations. This reality often leads to a high rejection rate of an editor's ideas, Ragan says. Good editors accept these situations and develop new viewpoints to make their cases from different angles, according to Ragan. Successful editors understand they are part of the organization, but do not concede their main role of presenting its material in the best possible light, Ragan says. To achieve that goal, editors must pick their battles.
  
  

Willingness to Negotiate

• Sensitivity to an author's material and style is important for editing a book successfully, Kamlani says. However, when an editor must intervene, he must do so without antagonizing an author. Without an author's cooperation, nothing can happen, Kamlani told "Writer's Digest." The trick is providing a sound basis for every edit, she says. This system gives the author a natural incentive to improve, instead of having an editor tackle the job for him.