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What is a contributing author and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a contributing author. For example, did you know that they make an average of $29.4 an hour? That's $61,143 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 5,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreContributing AuthorUS Average
Salary
4.8

Avg. Salary $61,143

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
3.4

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.36%

Asian 4.93%

Black or African American 5.93%

Hispanic or Latino 7.63%

Unknown 5.59%

White 75.56%

Gender

female 55.44%

male 44.56%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
3.4

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Contributing author career paths

Key steps to become a contributing author

  1. Explore contributing author education requirements

    Most common contributing author degrees

    Bachelor's

    70.6 %

    Master's

    12.8 %

    Associate

    6.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific contributing author skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Editorials13.77%
    Blog Posts11.67%
    Facebook10.30%
    Windows8.46%
    HTML8.16%
  3. Research contributing author duties and responsibilities

    • Help manage the Wordpress and Facebook site.
    • Manage social media promotions of Hobotrashcan.com, including facebook, twitter and email outreach.
    • Consist of writing articles, having written material review by editors, edit content, and post HTML content.
    • Proofread stories due publish for immediate release.
  4. Prepare your contributing author resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your contributing author resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a contributing author resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable contributing author resume templates

    Build a professional contributing author resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your contributing author resume.
    Contributing Author Resume
    Contributing Author Resume
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    Contributing Author Resume
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    Contributing Author Resume
    Contributing Author Resume
    Contributing Author Resume
  5. Apply for contributing author jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a contributing author job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first contributing author job

Zippi

Are you a contributing author?

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Average contributing author salary

The average contributing author salary in the United States is $61,143 per year or $29 per hour. Contributing author salaries range between $41,000 and $91,000 per year.

Average contributing author salary
$61,143 Yearly
$29.40 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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