$45k is not a livable wage anywhere within an hour commute of Manhattan
> And I thought we were talking about book cover artists?
"editors, marketing assistants, publicists, sales associates, designers, and contract assistants"
I think $45k comes out to a take-home of about $2800 per month. I see ads on craigslist for 2-bedroom apartments in Brooklyn in the 2000-3000 range, and 3-bedroom apartments also in Brooklyn in the 3000-4000 range, either of those seem reasonable with a $2800 take-home. Of course it means having roommates.
I briefly lived in SF, wherein the dynamic was similar. Most of us were a paycheck (or less!) away from homelessness. It's "doable" if you're okay with having near-zero room for savings, or covering unexpected expenses, or what have you.