Demographics
This year, 76% of survey respondents identified as white, down from 80% in 2024. The decline was driven by growing diversity among respondents who have been in publishing for six years or less. This year, only 61% of that group was white, down from 64% in 2024. Those who identified as Asian composed the second-largest portion of the six-years-and-under group, at 11%, consistent with 2024, but new-to-the-industry Hispanic and Black respondents both had small increases in representation. This progress could be in jeopardy, however, as 67% of respondents believe that current pushback against DEI initiatives will have negative repercussions for publishing’s diversity efforts.
Job Satisfaction
Despite constant grumblings among industry members, this year’s survey respondents are generally happy with their chosen profession, rating their job satisfaction at seven out of 10 on average. Rating their feelings of job security on a scale of one to five, the average response was 3.5. Those in the industry longest tended to be slightly happier in their jobs and feel more secure than their counterparts with less publishing experience. Those in the industry six years or less reported job satisfaction of 6.6 out of 10 on average, and job security of 3.2 out of five.
Compensation
Median pay for all respondents rose $5,000 last year, to $80,000. The roughly 6.7% increase is slightly smaller than the 7.3% jump reported for 2023. Though women continue to make inroads in management, men tend be overrepresented in the industry’s highest-paying jobs, which accounts for the sizable gap between men’s and women’s median pay last year. The median salary for those in the industry for six years or less was $56,000 last year, a considerable improvement over the $52,000 reported for 2023—likely due in part to efforts by the major New York City publishers to boost entry-level pay. The average annual pay raise for all respondents has traditionally hovered around 3%, and that was the case in 2024, with an average raise of 2.9% reported.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The share of respondents who say their companies are now using AI has steadily increased since PW first asked the question three years ago. This year, 63% said their companies use AI. But the more familiar people become with the technology, the less they seem to like it. This year, 72% said they believe AI will be bad for publishing, up from 56% in 2024. Concerns about AI’s impact fall into two broad categories: newer industry members worry that increased use of AI will result in job losses, while those who have been in publishing longer see copyright issues and a decline in quality as the most troubling outcomes.
