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INBook Industry Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Book Industry Award actually pays — the right editor or publicist grade, overtime and casual loading, calculated the way the award says.
How the Book Industry Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification — the calculator uses the adult weekly/hourly rates from clause 14, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 (variation PR799358).
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours and a minimum 3-hour engagement.
- This award carries no Saturday, Sunday, evening, night or public holiday penalty rates — it’s a Monday-to-Friday, office-based award, and public holidays are an NES entitlement only, with no award premium for hours actually worked.
- Overtime for full-time and part-time staff is 150% for the first 8 hours in a week, then 200% after that; casuals get a flat 150% for all hours worked beyond 7.5 in a day — it does not step up to 200%, unlike most awards.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings — but not to overtime.
- Senior Editor Level 3 Grade 3 and Publicist Grades 6–7 are exempt from the overtime clause altogether — running their hours through this calculator’s overtime tiers would overstate what they’re actually owed; they get 2 days off a week instead.
Who the award covers
- Receipt, editing and preparation of manuscripts and other material for publication in book form
- Writing, drawing or photographic work for publicity or public relations tied to book publications
- Book editors — from trainee through to senior editor
- Publicists working on book publicity and public relations
- Labour hire staff placed into a book-industry employer
Executives and managers, employees on enterprise awards or enterprise instruments, and State reference public sector employees sit outside this award. Work substantially engaged in marketing (rather than publicity for book publications) isn’t covered either — check the coverage clause before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Book Industry Award has two classification families — Editors (Trainee through Senior editor) and Publicists (Grades 1–7) — each its own ladder. Classify by the demonstrated skill and independence the role requires, not the job title on the contract; the definitions in Schedule A are deliberately about competence, not duties alone.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editor L1 — on commencement | $30.74 | $1168.20 | Trainee book editor (starting out) | Under direct supervision: proofreading, type mark-up, copy editing, gradually learning housestyle and schedules. Normally a graduate or someone with equivalent publishing experience. |
| Editor L1 — after 6 months | $32.68 | $1241.70 | Trainee book editor (6+ months in) | Same duties as on commencement, at the pay step reached after 6 months. No one stays at Level 1 longer than 12 months. |
| Editor L2 — Grade 1 | $34.40 | $1307.10 | Book editor, Grade 1 | Applies housestyle and company terminology, uses keyboard/software skills, and — under supervision — handles pictorial research, indexes, captions and blurbs. |
| Editor L2 — Grade 2 | $35.25 | $1339.60 | Book editor, Grade 2 | All Grade 1 duties with decreasing supervision, plus dealing directly with authors and artists on art, design and subject briefs. |
| Editor L2 — Grade 4 | $38.93 | $1479.40 | Book editor, Grade 4 | High-level proficiency across all book editor duties under broad supervision only — able to take a project through the full editorial process. |
| Editor L3 — Grade 1 (Senior editor, standard rate) | $40.78 | $1549.70 | Senior editor, Grade 1 — the award’s standard rate | Communicates and liaises internally and externally, takes projects through the editorial process, and — in liaison with senior staff — briefs external authors and artists. |
| Editor L3 — Grade 2 (Senior editor) | $42.64 | $1620.30 | Senior editor, Grade 2 | Competent in all Grade 1 duties, plus responsibility for major series or lists, training junior editors and commissioning manuscripts. |
| Publicist — Grade 1 | $33.19 | $1261.40 | Publicist, Grade 1 | Straightforward, closely supervised public relations duties of limited scope — typically entering the field via a relevant course or cadetship. |
| Publicist — Grade 3 | $37.61 | $1429.30 | Publicist, Grade 3 | Normal professional work, broader in scope, with real independence and judgment — may coordinate the work of other publicists on a project. |
| Publicist — Grade 5 | $44.29 | $1683.20 | Publicist, Grade 5 | Considerable experience and independent judgment across complex or critical work — may direct a small work unit. |
- Editor Level 1 (Trainee) is capped at 12 months — an employee must be reassessed and moved to Level 2 (Book editor) before then.
- The editor ladder climbs on independence: Level 2 grades work under decreasing supervision as they gain external-contact and indexing skills; Level 3 (Senior editor) means running projects and liaising both internally and externally without close oversight.
- Publicist grades run 1 (closely supervised, entry-level) through 7 (extensive experience, specialist consultancy) — the same broad-scope-versus-limited-scope test as editors, just for public relations work.
- Senior Editor Level 3 Grade 3 and Publicist Grades 6 and 7 sit outside the hours-of-work, breaks and overtime clauses entirely — they’re paid a fixed salary-equivalent rate and get at least 2 days off a week instead, so don’t run overtime through the calculator for these grades.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Book Industry Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Book Industry Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Book Industry Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 13) — the award sets no separate rest breaks. Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Book Industry Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000078) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The classification minimums are the adult rates from the award (clause 14), current at 1 July 2026. Senior Editor Level 3 Grade 3 and Publicist Grades 6–7 are exempt from the overtime provisions modelled here. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Why doesn’t this award pay weekend or evening penalties?
It genuinely doesn’t have any. The Book Industry Award covers Monday-to-Friday, office-based publishing work, and the archive record confirms there are no Saturday, Sunday, evening, night-shift or public holiday premiums. Any work outside the ordinary 38-hour week is priced as overtime instead.
Why is casual overtime a flat 150% instead of stepping up like full-time overtime?
Because that’s what the award says (clause 18.2) — casuals get overtime for all work beyond 7.5 hours in a day, paid at a flat 150%, rather than the 150%-then-200% structure that applies to full-time and part-time staff.
What allowances does this award actually pay?
None with a fixed dollar figure. Clause 16 only requires reimbursement of authorised, reasonably incurred out-of-pocket expenses — there’s no meal, tool, uniform or first aid allowance in this award, unlike most others in the calculator.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
