Booksology n+1 job postings make people furious and defensive.
n+1 performed one of the media’s most necessary, yet annoying jobs: posting job listings and posting actual salary ranges. While this number is higher than the US median salary of $49,500, the live location is Brooklyn, and I can tell you from personal experience that it’s significantly more expensive than the median salary for where you live (Cleveland, apparently?).
The strongest negative reactions were both understandable and predictable. Given the responsibilities, n+1 reputation, and reality of trying to build a professional life and career in New York, this doesn’t seem to be enough. The most vocal defenders of N+1 have responded vitriolicly to these criticisms, probably without advice (and mostly removed) to my knowledge. (Side note: I’m not going to link to individual X posts here. If you’re interested, you can search for n+1 to quickly see the terrain).
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I have a bit of a perspective on the topic of running an independent media organization that goes beyond “this salary is a disgrace” or “this is what it is”. I’m also going to assume for the time being that n+1 isn’t fundamentally overpaying any executives or renting prohibitively expensive office space, but of course if this is the case then that money should be redirected. As a registered non-profit, n+1 also has no large corporations siphoning off funds that could be used to increase the salaries of the people who work there.
The truth that bridges these extreme reactions is that there isn’t much money going into independent media. There is even less funding for independent media with a mission. That’s the essence of n+1 and I have a lot of respect for them. My guess is that they are probably paying as much as they can across the board and wish they could pay more. It’s a good sentiment to say we should unionize, but that assumes companies have money to spare that can be funneled to employees. For New York Times and Condé Nast employees, it’s an ongoing negotiation. Because these companies have built highly profitable brands and businesses over decades. This is because keeping employee salaries as low as possible can increase profitability even further. Furthermore, companies should You can make a profit simply because you have a margin of safety and the possibility of growth.
So what if a company like n+1 can’t pay any more? Should they… close down? What’s the next move? I don’t have an answer, and neither do those who lament this job and other low-paying, full-time jobs in the media industry.
I also don’t think it’s appropriate to just shrug it off and call it a break. Because we want to enable people who value art and ideas to build a life around their work. And we want to be able to do that even without family money or other resources that aren’t generally available. The answer to this question is not about employment policy, union organizing, or “you can always be a police officer.”
Many of us have to pay for independent media. More people paying means more money for employees. The money paid to editors-in-chief, junior publicists, and senior designers doesn’t sit on greenfield lines on the books, but in the quarterly reports of Meta, Netflix, Alphabet, TikTok, and Amazon.
Media money goes where attention is drawn. If n+1 had 27% more subscribers, the job would pay more. Probably more than 27%. Money made directly from readers is the most reliable and most insulated from rampant sponsors and changing terms from technology companies. Even just taking $5 or $10 a month out of your pocket to participate in websites, articles, journals, and podcasts that interest you is a small but big difference. The good thing about supporting indie media is that millions of people don’t have to change their habits. Having 1,000 people join and subscribe is a problem. Depending on your location, a few hundred might be important, and sometimes a few dozen.
I believe that n+1 is doing its best. I think people who are second-guessing this level of pay are really paying attention. And without more support, I don’t think either n+1 or its critics today can do all that much to change the game.
