How to become an author or related writer
Official title: Authors and related writers
Also called: Author, Book editor, Essayist, Indexer, Interactive media writer, Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Script writer, Speech writer, Technical communicator, Technical writer
Authors and related writers plan, research and write books, scripts, storyboards, plays, essays, speeches, manuals, specifications and other non-journalistic articles (excluding material for newspapers, magazines and other periodicals) for publication or presentation.
Main tasks
- Conceiving, writing and editing novels, plays, scripts, poetry and other material for publication or presentation
- Conducting research to establish factual content and to obtain other necessary information
- Writing scripts and continuities and preparing programmes for stage, film, radio and television productions
- Analysing material, such as specifications, notes and drawings, and creating manuals, instructions for use, user guides and other documents to explain clearly and concisely the installation, operation and maintenance of software, electronic, mechanical and other equipment
- Writing brochures, handbooks and similar technical publications
- Selecting material for publication, checking style, grammar and accuracy of content, arranging for any necessary revisions and checking proof copies before printing
Ways in
- University: Communications & Media degrees, Offered by 18 universities in Hong Kong
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become an author or related writer?
Ways in include: Communications & Media degrees.
Do you need a degree to become an author or related writer?
Usually. 85% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of an author or related writer?
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026