IMO, Nature is not a representative case. In my area, editors are typically academics, none of them I know receives payment for what they do. As an example, ta

IMO, Nature is not a representative case. In my area, editors are typically academics, none of them I know receives payment for what they do. As an example, take a look at the 34 editors of IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, all in academia or employed by a third party: http://www.comsoc.org/tnsm/editorial-board http://www.comsoc.org/tnsm/editorial-board