Editors' Salaries - Writers Forum

sportsdude · 09-11-2004, 10:28 PM

What is an average salary for a newspaper writer/editor? I realize this question is very general, but any info is appreciated.

silverwriter · 10-05-2004, 12:29 PM

I'd look up the occupational outlook handbook. That usually helps me with any career questions I have.

bobgelinas · 10-06-2004, 11:21 PM

Go to www.salary.com. You can load most any profession, pick a part of the country, and it will tell you averages, ranges, the works. A great research tool.

johan pasqualli · 01-09-2005, 10:11 PM

I'm an Associate Editor for medical journals at a small suburban publishing company. I know I'm not providing a precise answer to your question, but I just thought you might be interested in also learning what salary range another type of editor might earn. Smaller companies, such as the one I'm employed at, typically start salaries for Assistant Editors in the very low 30K or high 20K area. I used to work for a fairly large newspaper in the area, but not on the Editorial side, but I was offered an editorial assistant position starting in the low 30Ks. Hope I helped.

bobgelinas · 01-11-2005, 12:25 PM

We pay our editors on a fee plus commission basis, which is a little bit unique in the industry. Most publishers pay either a fixed fee on a free-lance basis, or a flat salary for internal employees. Our editors earn a flat fee per MSS edited, then receive a monthly percentage of actual sales of the books they've edited. We feel it's a great incentive for our editors to give them a direct stake in the success of the books they work on.

In general, we target a part-time associate editor for around $20K a year, and a fulltime editor around $40K a year. Again, there is a performance element in there, so the better the books, the better they are received inthe market, the better the editor gets paid (as does the author, their agent, the publisher, etc.).