By Chron Contributor Updated August 28, 2020
While many writers dream of becoming best-selling novelists, it's magazine articles that pay the bills for many writers. Magazine writers work for publishers who sell health, business, entertainment, travel and weekly news publications, while freelancers get assignments through query letters. Query letters allow freelancers to get assignments on spec, meaning they get paid in advance. Magazine writers earn salaries averaging $50,000 annually.
Education and Qualifications
Most magazine writers who work for publishers have at least bachelor's degrees in journalism, communications or creative writing. Freelancers do not necessarily need a college degree, but many take creative writing classes before submitting their articles. Freelancers with expertise in business, art or other topics may substitute experience and other degrees for degrees in journalism. Other essential requirements are determination, creativity, persistence and social perceptiveness.
Magazine Writer Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics combines magazine writers' salaries with newspaper, book and directory publisher writers, under the global category of writers and authors. These people averaged $63,200 as of May 2019. Freelance writers earned average salaries of $39,555 per year as of 2020, according to Payscale, although this is not specific to magazine writers since may freelance writers nor work in digital, rather than print, media.
Freelance magazine writers get paid by the article. They earn pennies per word for articles in many small publications, and up to $2.50 per word in Reader's Digest, according to the 2019 Writer's Market Deluxe Edition. Some publications pay as much as $5,000 for feature articles although there is downward pressure on rates across the board.
Salary by Region
In 2019, the typical salaries for all writer jobs varied significantly in most U.S. regions. In the South region, they earned the highest salaries ($103,980) in Washington, D.C., and the lowest ($42,080) in Louisiana, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those in the West made between $65,6300 and $90,970, respectively, in Hawaii and California. Magazine writers earned $60,030 to $91,280 per year, respectively, in Maine and New York, which were the lowest and highest salaries in the Northeast. In the Midwest, they earned the most in Indiana and least in Nebraska – $71,500 and $50,570, respectively.
Contributing Factors
Most magazine writers earn more with experience. Those who work for publishers can earn annual merit increases, or advance into associate editor positions. Experienced freelancers may write articles more quickly than novices, which can earn them higher annual incomes. They also know how to better query magazine publishers for assignments. Contently publishes a list of user-submitted per-assignment rates. This indicates that, in 2019, freelance writers were making around $300 per 1,200 word article for some publications, and as little as $25 for an article of the same length for other publications. There is no industry-standard pay rate.
Job Outlook
The BLS doesn't forecast magazine writer jobs. It does project a flat growth rate writers and authors, which includes magazine writers, which means that the number of available jobs is projected to stay more or less the same through 2028. This relatively low growth rate is largely due to the shuttering of some print magazines. Magazine writers can still find jobs with online periodicals, as people want "real time" news they can get online. Magazine writers can still expect stiff competition for magazine assignments, whether they are employed by periodicals or freelance.
