SAGE has published an annual rate card of recommended salaries for editors for the last 14 years.
Though focussed on freelance editors, this rate card can also be used as a starting point for full-time employment negotiations.
Rates and conditions should be considered negotiable; this is a guideline, not a rigid set of rules. We encourage editors and producers alike to read our pre-employment checklist and the what to expect from an editor document.
The tables below represent a broad spread of possible rates. If the rates seem extraordinarily low or high, consider that these are intended to cover a wide range of job types, genres, durations, locations, funding models, conditions, and potential profit participation. Providing a useful guide to all these variables is highly challenging, so we have elected to use broad categories instead.
You can download the rate card as a PDF. We urge you to read about the changes below the rate card itself.
