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Liz Bury

Liz Bury is The Bookseller's features and special projects editor.

The truth about pay, benefits and books

14.01.08

If you work in a bookshop, a publishing house or a library the chances are you’re not in it entirely for the money. Everyone knows that pay in the book world is low, compared to many other professions. And yet many of the most talented graduates opt for poorly paid jobs in this industry, ahead of the chance to work in more lucrative roles. Why?

People speculate about the desire to work with authors, or books, in a creative atmosphere or with a civilised work-life balance. And there is much gnashing of teeth about the effects of low pay on the demographics of the industry (everyone in publishing is a white, middle class, liberal female called Emma, apparently). Is this true? Does it matter?

The Bookseller Salary and Benefits Survey 2008 hopes to uncover the answers to some of the questions surrounding pay, benefits and books. Everyone working with books is invited to take part--the more responses, the more reliable our findings will be. There is also a chance to enter our prize draw to win £300 travel vouchers.

Thank you for participating: www.thissurvey.co.uk/bookseller08

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Comments on this article

By Simon Key

I suspect that those of us who are deleriously happy in the wonderful world of books won't be inclined to take the survey, and those people who aren't will be more than willing to fill it in. Unfortunately as a species we're much better at complaining than taking the time to praise. Do you see, i'm doing it right now. We just can't help it!

16 Jan 08 11:58

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By Suzanne Collier

Yet again The Bookseller fails to come up with any original ideas of its own and has to pass others ideas off as their own. You are not journalists just copy artists. Poor Show!

16 Jan 08 12:33

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By Carlie Lee

Oo! Says you Ms Collier, are you slightly sore after Morecambe? I took the survey and I love my job. I work with some brilliant authors whose energy, passion and teeth-gnashing determination is truly inspiring; I left a lucrative position in a manufacturing company to get into publishing, I've never worked as hard as I do now but I love every crackers, scrabbling minute.

16 Jan 08 19:07

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By colin

I initially thought it a great idea to fill this in, being paid almost minimum wage even with TEN years bookselling experience (not all with my current, nameless, employer) AND without a pay rise this last year having been informed that I'd become, from the lowest to the, highest paid at my level in the space of 18 months! It was a shame to discover that the survey starts with an unbelievable £20,000 figure that I would think most booksellers can only wish they received making the survey all but void…..

20 Jan 08 21:58

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By Liz

Hi Colin, thanks for your comment and for taking part in the survey. How to ask the question about salary was a difficult one. We eventually decided that it would be best to use the salary bands that correspond to those we use for job ads on thebookseller.com (or at least, those we encourage recruiters to use). I appreciate these are quite wide bands and, as you say, don't delineate a great deal. However, we certainly don't intend to gloss over the issue of low pay in bookselling, and this is something I expect we'll look at in the write-up of our findings; so please feel free to email if you'd like to contribute to that. liz.bury@bookseller.co.uk

21 Jan 08 15:00

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By Yvette Gunther

My love for my job as a school librarian is seriously undermined by low status and low pay. The constant pressure of low pay with poor prospects, in a job that benefits from a good knowledge base and good interchangable skills, is a headache that makes this a difficult career choice to recommend.

20 Feb 08 15:11

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