Vanity Fair writer Bryan Burrough revealed his astonishing salary when the magazine was at its pinnacle in his latest review of his former editor Graydon Carter’s new book. In The Yale Review, the 63-year-old revealed the six-figure commission that allowed him to work remotely, rarely attend meetings, and frequently get treated to lavish lunches with his editor. The long-time correspondent of the magazine admitted that he made $498,141 for just three articles a year back in the 90s—which is about $166,047 per story. “Yes, I realized it was obscene. I took it with a grin,” Burrough wrote, also claiming that he enjoyed this luxury for about 25 years and was “treated like a prince” at work. He detailed the breakdown, writing that his contract required each article to be about 10,000 words, adding that sometimes his stories would be optioned for movies, which would earn him an additional $15,000 to $25,000. “I am aware of peers who did just as well. Nowadays, though, such windfalls are a distant memory. Today, for a rare magazine article, I’m lucky to receive two dollars a word, or $20,000 for that same ten-thousand-word story,” he wrote. Back in its heyday, Vanity Fair writers also benefited from staff perks like free breakfasts, dinner parties, and town cars that would take them anywhere, all on the company dollar.
Read it at The Yale Review
