Production professionals: earn more, learn more, do more

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, June 1, 1997 by Rolf Maurer

Compensation for production directors and managers shows a marked shift this year to favoring those working on consumer titles. While last year's survey reported average base salaries as essentially equal for production directors at business and consumer titles, and for production managers as well, this year's survey charts a nearly $10,000 advantage for those working on consumer titles. Production directors at consumer titles averaged $66,300, while their peers at business titles averaged $56,900.

Although the dollar amounts differ, production directors and managers on both consumer and business titles see a consistent increase in pay as they age, as the number of titles they are responsible for increases, and as the circulations of their titles go up. Unfortunately, the same is not true for art directors. Their salaries take a nosedive as they age (from an average of $47,399 at age 30-39, to $39,271 at age 50 or more) and as the number of titles they are responsible for increases (from an average $52,135 for those responsible for one magazine, to $42,077 for those responsible for more than one).

Complaints this year follow a familiar pattern: Too much work unrelated to core duties (such as employee training or selling foreign rights), and no compensation for doing it. Notes a production director from Kansas: "Production people are the only true generalists in publishing. We must know the basics of every skill . . . to get publications out [on time]. And then we are told to transfer to sales if we want to earn more money!"

Not everyone is complaining, however. Nearly 25 percent of respondents say they feel adequately compensated and express some enthusiasm for the range of tasks they are asked to perform. One production director from the Midwest says, "I have lots of freedom to travel and learn. And I'm very involved with editorial, graphics-lots of things/areas [that expand my reach]."

RELATED ARTICLE: METHODOLOGY

Folio: mailed its 13th annual production salary survey to 1,883 production and art professionals, 314 of whom responded. The overall response rate was 16.7 percent. Two hundred sixty-nine of the questonnaires received contained sufficient information for tabulation. The survey was conducted in two mailings, in January and February 199. * Exactly 50 percent of the survey recipients work on business magazines; 50 percent work on consumer titles. Thirty-five percent of the sample in each category work on magazines with circulations larger than 100,000; 65 percent work on titles with smaller circulations. * Some respondents gave an expected salary range instead of exact figures, in which case the mean was used for tabulation. The results have been weighted to reflect the circulation percentages and the percentage of business and consumer production executives who received the survey. * The results were tabulated by Accu-Tab, Commack, New York.

production director

(May be called vice president of production.) Negotiates printing contracts and other vendor relationships, establishes production schedules. Oversees one or more production managers. Is responsible for technical matters, internal coordination and quality control.

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TOTAL COMPENSATION

                                              AVERAGE    AVERAGE
                                    AVERAGE   BUSINESS   CONSUMER

BY AGE
Up to 29                                (*)   $37,500        (*)
30-39                               $54,835    53,049    $57,199
40-49                                59,343    54,866     63,756
50 or more                           62,231    56,256        (*)

RESPONSIBLE FOR
One magazine                        $52,484   $47,856    $60,228
More than one magazine               59,235    56,269     62,318

BY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES SUPERVISED
None                                    (*)   $48,944        (*)
One                                 $53,095    54,973    $51,628
2-4                                  52,189    51,096     53,492
More than 4                          66,262    58,882     74,080

BY CIRCULATION
Up to 19,999                        $46,500   $46,500        (*)
20,000-49,999                        51,778    51,743    $45,000
50,000-99,999                        50,989    52,387     46,000
100,000-499,999                      60,025    66,316     55,818
500,000 or more                      75,332       (*)     76,599

BY FREQUENCY
Weekly/byweekly                     $68,812   $64,771    $78,579
Monthly                              54,898    51,687     59,579
Other                                59,668    52,466     63,437

BY TOTAL PAGES PRODUCED ANNUALLY
Up to 499                           $52,848   $54,712        (*)
500-999                              47,099       (*)    $47,725
1,000-1,499                          47,833    47,197     49,732
1,500-2,999                          59,575    56,652     61,903
3,000 to 4,999                       66,157    65,148        (*)
5,000 or more                        90,735       (*)     93,437