Authors, writers and translators: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time authors, writers and translators in the UK earned a median £39,459 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): almost exactly the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That puts it 141st of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The mean, £47,931, is 21% above the median, a sign of a few very high earners.
Median full-time pay: women £37,893 a year, men £40,363 a year.
About 79% of the roughly 24,000 employee jobs are full-time.
From £31,451 in 2021, the median is up 25.5%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 92,500 people in this line of work, 27% of them in London.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | – | £551.40 | £14.66 | – | – | £14.21 |
| 20th percentile | £30,668 | £586.50 | £15.86 | £23,338* | £497.20 | £15.74 |
| 25th percentile | £32,036 | £625.10 | £16.77 | £26,558* | £554.90 | £16.76 |
| 30th percentile | £33,931 | £668.50 | £17.52 | £29,678 | £574.90 | £17.03 |
| 40th percentile | £37,053 | £705.10 | £18.90 | £32,277 | £652.40 | £18.90 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £39,459 | £752.40 | £20.12 | £36,865 | £705.10 | £20.39 |
| 60th percentile | £41,856 | £803.70 | £21.55 | £39,945 | £765.70 | £21.78 |
| 70th percentile | £45,917* | £862.40* | £23.05 | £42,185* | £809.80 | £23.49 |
| 75th percentile | – | – | £23.96* | – | £862.40* | £24.15 |
| Mean | £47,931* | £857.30 | £23.07 | £41,707* | £764.20 | £22.92 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £31,451 | £555.40 | £14.88 | £28,523* | £531.60 | 20* |
| 2022 revised | £30,226* | £583.40 | £16.01 | £27,129* | £549.50 | 17* |
| 2023 revised | £33,816 | £671.30 | £18.67 | £31,217 | £607.00 | 19* |
| 2024 revised | £36,105 | £707.40 | £19.19 | £31,993 | £627.60 | 22* |
| 2025 provisional | £39,459 | £752.40 | £20.12 | £36,865 | £705.10 | 24* |
Authors, writers and translators by region
UK: 92,500 (± 11,800), April 2025 to March 2026. 10 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| London | 24,900* | ± 8,100 |
| South East | 15,700* | ± 5,000 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What authors, writers and translators do
Authors, writers and translators write, edit and evaluate literary material for publication excluding material for newspapers, magazines and other periodicals but including scripts and narrative for film, TV, radio and video games and animations; and translate spoken and written statements into different languages. (ONS SOC 2020, 3412)
Also covers: copywriter, editor (books), interpreter, technical author, translator, writer, audio describer, book editor, BSL interpreter, cartographic editor, creative writer, digital copywriter, editorial assistant, editorial consultant, language consultant, lip reader, literary adviser and literary agent (56 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Determines subject matter and researches as necessary by interviewing, attending public events, seeking out records, observing etc.
- Generates and develops creative ideas for literary material
- Selects material for publication, checks style, grammar and accuracy of content, arranges for any necessary revisions and checks proof copies before printing
- Negotiates contracts with freelance agents and with buyer on behalf of writer
- Writes instruction manuals and user guides, technical reports, catalogues and indexes, prepares sales literature and writes technical articles for trade journals
- Converts documents or spoken statements from original or source language into another language
Entry is possible with a variety of academic qualifications and/or relevant experience. Postgraduate and professional qualifications are available and are required for some occupations.
Related
Artistic, literary and media occupations (median £39,135) · Artists · Actors, entertainers and presenters · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Mean
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026