Yes, it's lucrative
This post on Valleywag lists the going rate for H1-B visa workers hired by Microsoft, and includes the amazing statistics that a developer is paid around $115,000 while a technical writer gets $129,000.
Jesus! I don't make that much. But it is a pretty lucrative field, which provides certain evil consolation for the fact that it takes up all the time and energy that one might better spend being poor and writing novels.
Previously:
On sf.metblogs.com: Zyzzyva editor H. Junker was a technical writer before becoming a litmag editor
On Too Beautiful: What does a tech writer do?technorati: technical writing
Labels: technical writing, working