Demographics
While 80% of respondents were female, the industry is attracting more male and nonbinary employees. Twenty-four percent of employees with six years or less experience identified as male (16%) or non-binary (8%). That is a jump from 20% in the 2025 survey.
The total percentage of white employees was 79%, up from 76% in last year’s survey. The percentage of nonwhite employees with six years or less experience was 65%, compared to 61% in 2024. The decline in new BIPOC employees echoes concerns raised in last year’s survey that the Trump administration’s pushback against DEI might slow BIPOC hiring.
Job Satisfaction
Sixty percent of respondents were very satisfied with their job, so much so that 68% reported that they expected to be working at the same company in two years’ time, either in the same position or at a higher level. The 40% of respondents who said they expect to be in the same job reflects one of employees’ main gripes: the lack of advancement opportunities. Not surprisingly, employees who are considering leaving their jobs and possibly publishing altogether were generally unhappy with their current position, with only 29% reporting that they were happy in their job.
Compensation
Respondents to this year’s survey had a median salary of $78,000, down from $80,000 in 2024. The men who responded to this year’s survey earned an average of $89,000, down from $97,000 in 2024, while women earned $79,000 compared to $78,500 last year.
Management salaries were up about 8% over 2024, but there was little pay change compared to last year in the operations, editorial, and sales/marketing fields. Pay for those with six years of less experience grew in 2025, to an average of $57,100, up from $56,000 in 2024.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The trend of “the more publishing employees use AI the less they like it” held true in the most recent survey. Seventy-three percent of respondents reported that their company uses AI in some fashion, with market research the top function. However, perhaps because of all the controversy surrounding the use of AI in writing books, 77% of respondents said they have a negative view of the technology. The top concern is that respondents could get involved with publishing a book substantially written by AI.
Workers make their cases for and against AI
“One of our mandatory annual goals for 2026 is to find a use case for AI in our day-to-day work and to inform our coworkers about it. It’s inane and insulting.”
The rare optimist!
“I do not believe we will survive as a business if we don’t adapt to the future…. I want publishing to exist, therefore I embrace AI.”
A version of this article appeared in the 11/09/2026 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Salary and Jobs Report, 2026