Survey finds modest raises and a changed work environment, but optimism about the industry’s future
“The Publishers Weekly salary survey is back, and the publishing industry has undergone much change since we last conducted it, in the spring of 2010. At that time, publishing companies, and the country, were just getting back on their feet after the Great Recession, and the impact of e-books was only beginning to be felt. The 2013 survey was conducted in late summer, and the results, which are based on about 1,000 responses from publishing company employees, reveal an industry slightly more confident in its future than was the case three years ago, when the poor economy, not digital disruption, was the chief concern among respondents.”
Some interesting findings:
- The workforce is dominated by women (76%), but men earn more overall because of higher rates of employment in management.
- The pay gap between men and women in publishing persisted in 2012, with the average male respondent earning $85,000 per year and the average female employee earning $56,000 annually (see reasons cited in the article).
- The workforce is also well educated: 95% of those who responded to the survey are college graduates, and 40% have either a postgraduate degree or have done some work toward a higher degree.
- One thing the industry has going for it is that despite the turmoil of recent years, 90% of respondents said they were somewhat confident or very confident in the future of publishing.
- Among respondents who took on new responsibilities in the last two years, 42% said their new duties were tied to digital or online developments, although only 36% said they had received training in new media. The largest portion of respondents who received digital training were from management (48%), followed by production staff (44%).
- Self-publishing is also having an impact on the industry, according to the survey. Fifty-two percent of respondents said their companies acquired books from self-published authors in the past year; among trade publishers, that portion was higher, at 63%.
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