How much should you be paying the editors that work for you? Indeed, how much should you be making, yourself?

We are asked often about editorial salaries. The information seekers are motivated often out of an interest in applying good salary policy, as editorial managers. Sometimes, the stimulus is simply self-interest. In either case, though, the subject is one of keen interest. It is also a topic about which conversation is often guarded, and information is typically restricted. There are a few sources of comparative data out there. However, when it comes to applying that data to your own situation, serious questions exist about how relevant, accurate, or helpful the information might really be.

But salaries alone are far from the whole story when it comes to establishing and administering compensation policy at your publication. It is also important to consider which job markets you are competing in, how public or private should salary information be within your own organization, what are appropriate relationships between the salaries of those serving in various editorial capacities, and what would be an effective way to make decisions about salary increases for employees.

And the Survey Says...

Two separate surveys have been conducted by two different organizations. The organizations are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Folio magazine. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged the average editorial salary at $57,180 and the median annual salary at $49,990.

Folio breaks down its editorial salary statistics into three categories: 1) Managing Editors/Senior Editors (average annual salary: $54,900), 2) Editors/Executive Editors (average annual salary: $65,950), and 3) Editorial Directors (average annual salary: $83,700).

However, just who is that "average" editor who receives that "average" editorial salary?

As you may have guessed, the two surveys are less united in defining exactly who that editor is. Indeed, in examining any kind of statistics like these, it is always wise to ask about the underlying definitions of the surveys and what methodologies were used in obtaining and analyzing the data. Not only is it essential to know how an average editor is defined, it is also important to consider factors such as whether the data comes from employer records, or is self-reported by individuals, along with details of job responsibility, years of experience, financial position of the employers, geographical location, and the overall condition of the industry in which the publications exist.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau reports that there are currently 110,010 editors working in the United States. The aforementioned salary mean of $57,180 was published in the Bureau's May 2008 salary report. Salaries for newspaper, periodical, book, and directory editors are about $57,150, right on par with the national average.

Table I: Industries That Employ the Highest Number of Editors

Industry	Employment	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers	66,780	$27.48	$57,150
Other Information Services	5,160	$27.39	$56,970
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations	4,290	$28.03	$58,310
Radio and Television Broadcasting	3,630	$27.44	$57,080
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	3,420	$25.08	$52,170

Source: U.S. Department of Labor Statistics

Not surprisingly, the state of New York has both the highest number of editors (18,730) and the top editorial salaries (mean: $74,630). Though the New York salary mean is nearly $20,000 per year higher, the difference is somewhat misleading — most of New York's editors (15,700, or 83.8 percent) work in the metropolitan area, where the cost of living tends to be extremely high.

Also of note are the high hourly wages for highly specialized editors. While periodical publication editors averaged $27.48 per hour in 2008, accounting- and aerospace-oriented editors made close to $50.00 per hour ($49.47 and $46.80, respectively). Editors in the securities, commodity contract, and intermediation/brokerage industries made $38.08 per hour, over $10.00 more per hour than their counterparts in periodical publications.

Folio

For some years, Folio magazine has been conducting an annual survey of editorial salaries. Their May 2008 survey found the average editorial salary to be $68,183; however, it is important to note that Folio's survey focuses upon editors in top positions (i.e., managing/senior editors, editors/executive editors, and editorial directors).

The survey illuminates a marked discrepancy between male and female salaries in the aforementioned categories. The smallest salary gap was for managing/senior editors, with an annual difference of $7,000. The gap widens for editorial directors, with an annual difference of $11,400. However, the gap between male and female editors/executive editors is, by far, widest -- $19,100 per year. Women are making below the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' overall mean in two of three management categories.

The following table illustrates these discrepancies:

Table II: Male and Female Editorial Salaries – May 2008

	Managing/Senior Editors	Editors/Executive Editors	Editorial Directors
Male	$58,400	$75,500	$89,800
Female	$51,400	$56,400	$77,600
Difference	$7,000	$19,100	$11,400
Average	$54,900	$65,950	$83,700

Source: Folio

The Economy

Across the board, publication ad sales are down. Consequently, editors are seeing decreases in salary, benefits, and other perks. Folio's 2008 report reveals a decrease in both average salary and extra cash (i.e., perks and bonuses) for most magazine editors. Editors are taking on more work and being compensated less for their efforts.

Still, job satisfaction remains surprisingly high (66 percent of editors surveyed by Folio are satisfied, while only 10 percent are decidedly unsatisfied). The proliferation of online and digital content, which accounts for a majority of additional work, has presented editors with new creative challenges to distract from -- and, perhaps, to help conquer -- the bleak economic times. As one editor told us, "It's been difficult for a few years now and we're given more work and no pay raises, no company contributions, no real incentives other than within ourselves. I've decided to focus on what I can do to help our readers deal with tough times."

Compensation Policy

So now you've checked over the salary surveys above and have a general idea of typical editorial salaries. Now you're interested in the bigger picture of your organization's overall compensation policy.

To put this into perspective, there are several factors to consider. One is the job market in which you are competing for hiring and retaining editorial staff. Other factors include confidentiality of salaries, and the relationships between the salaries for different editorial jobs. The process of making effective decisions regarding compensation is an integral part of a compensation policy, as well.

Job Market

There are likely several job markets in which you compete when hiring new staff for various editorial positions. Additionally, you probably must compete in yet other job markets when it comes to retaining the staff you have (i.e. keeping salaries competitive so that staff is not tempted to go elsewhere). To administer good policy, it is important that you both identify and understand all these markets.

For instance, if you have positions that can be filled by relatively inexperienced staff, it is probably not necessary to compete nationally or regionally for candidates. You can probably find them locally. Check with a nearby journalism school. They may be able to give you information on typical starting salaries that their graduates have reported. They may even be able to assist in identifying promising candidates.

For more senior positions, the situation may be quite different. Advanced editorial skills may not be so readily available in your geographical area. You may have to compete regionally or nationally. Some publications that deal with technical subjects may place themselves in competition with non-publishing organizations that hire people with that particular specialty (e.g., an engineering journal may seek to hire editors who have had engineering training, thus competing with engineering firms). Whatever your situation, to establish guidelines for your organization, check out what typical salaries might be for the job markets in which you are competing.

While we recommend this kind of analysis for evaluating salary guidelines, it can not be the only consideration, of course. Another test of appropriateness concerns just how much is a job worth to your publication. You may want to hire a nationally-known editorial star. But can your publication afford one? As a guide in answering that question, consider that typical editorial department budgets (for everything, not just salaries) average around ten to fifteen percent of a publication's annual revenues (for a monthly). On the other hand, your publication may be a very lucrative one, giving you the opportunity to hire an all-star editorial staff!

Confidentiality

Should members of your editorial staff know one another's salaries? Or should salaries be considered privileged information? Different systems are at work in different organizations and industries. For instance, if you were a public school teacher, your salary would be no secret. Indeed, it even may have been contained in a local newspaper report of the board of education meeting when you were hired. Salary increases in public education are usually calculated from years of experience and education. If you were the President of the United States or a member of Congress, your pay would be no secret, either. It would be a matter of public record. These compensation systems are not based on merit, however (no political statement intended). Not only are the systems not merit-based, they are also intended to exclude preferential treatment.

If a compensation system is intended to include preferentiality, there may be good reason for salary secrecy. Compensation based on managerial or personal preferences, if salary information is shared in an organization, can be demoralizing to the non-preferred. We're not talking about the kind of preferences that are contrary to law (age, sex, race, etc.). Rather, we're referring to preferences that might be based on personal friendship, nepotism, or on purely subjective performance evaluations.

If any of these are elements of your decision-making, it is certainly best that a policy of salary confidentiality be pursued.

Relative Worth

If you want your compensation system to be merit-based, however, a certain lack of secretiveness is essential for it to work best. If the promise of salary advancement is to be held out as a motivation for improved job performance, it makes good sense that staff members should know something of what rewards to expect if they work harder, acquire new skills, or take on additional responsibilities. That does not necessarily mean, however, that the salaries of individuals unquestionably need to be public knowledge.

A more workable system would be to assign a salary range to each editorial position, and let those ranges be known to present and prospective staff. Where in a given range an individual’s compensation might fall can be private information. The parameters of the ranges should be reflective of the job market and related analyses discussed earlier. Over time, the salary ranges can be adjusted to compensate for inflation and for changing circumstances in your organization and industry.

Making Decisions

In compensation administration, if you don't base salary decisions on your own personal inclinations, how do you decide? After all, don't your preferences represent your judgments -- and as an editorial manager, aren't you being paid to make judgments? Certainly, your own discernment is important. However, for salary policy to work for the long-term benefit of your organization, it is important that everyone know the rules of the game. Employees should know what will work for or against their own salary advancement, and what kinds of things count or don't count.

There are two devices that should be used in communicating these expectations to staff. The first is a clear, detailed, and written job description. It should set out all the major responsibilities an employee has, explain the authority the employee is empowered to use in carrying out those responsibilities, and list the circumstances that would prevail if each responsibility is satisfactorily fulfilled. The second device is the job appraisal. On a periodic basis, the manager should meet with the employee and review the employee's performance. Development goals should be set for the period until the next appraisal. Using these techniques will allow the editorial manager to exercise judgment in a way that will promote employee understanding and harmony, and in a way that will make salary administration work for the overall good of your publication.

To read more about 2008 editorial salaries, visit the following two websites to read their complete reports:

—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

—Folio