Magazine editors, for the most part, saw salaries rise in 2008. But with
many publishers turning to salary freezes or salary cuts (often as
steep as 25 percent) editors are expecting a significant decline of
possibly 10 percent or more, according to the 2009 FOLIO: Editorial
Salary Survey, conducted by Readex Research.
And while most editors
have seen their workload take a significant jump, thanks to more digital
assignments, that’s not yet reflected in salaries. "Closing down print
products could be smart from a cost standpoint but getting big dollars
from online is a challenge, which could result in cuts in pay and
staff," said one respondent.
Look for more on the Edit survey in FOLIO:’s September issue. In the meantime, here’s a quick look at some of the more telling stats:
Mean Salary for Editorial Director
| 2008 | 2007 | |
| B-to-B | $98,200 | $90,600 |
| Consumer | $90,800 | $83,300 |
| Association | $81,300 | $80,600 |
20% expect a salary increase in 2009
47% expect salaries to stay the same
31% expect salaries to decrease
Mean Salary for Editor/Executive Editor
| 2008 | 2007 | |
| B-to-B | $70,600 | $67,800 |
| Consumer | $58,600 | $67,100 |
| Association | $74,900 | $63,700 |
17% expect an increase in 2009
53% expect to stay the same
28% expect a decrease