The Scoop

HarperCollins has also acquired Avon Books and William Morrow & Co., the publishing unit of the Hearst Corporation, for about $200 million. The acquisiton of these titles means that HarperCollins will remain the second largest publisher in the United States behind Random House and the company becomes the third largest publisher of children's books. Upon merging operations, Friedman divided HC into two divisions: HaperCollins General Books Group and HarperCollins Children's Book Group. Other changes included cutting 17 imprints and 74 people from teh HC lineup. The one entity will now publish about 1,700 titles, which is about 20 percent fewer than former entities combined. But HC is not cutting down it imprints all together; the company recently acquired Amistad Press, one of the country's leading publishers featuring works by and about African Americans.

Getting Hired

HarperCollins employees "suggest using an active approach" to get your foot in the publishing door. The company advertises job openings in Publishers Weekly and The New York Times. If you don't see an ad that fits your skills, consider just sending a resume and cover letter to HR, expressing an interest in an entry-level position (in editorial, publicity, production, etc). Another good tip: "If there's a publishing program offered at your college, take it. Publishing people look for this - it shows you mean it when you say you have an interest in publishing."

There are also some job openings listed on the company's web site. Here the company warns that it does not accept resumes via email, does not appreciate phone calls, and resumes will not be considered if the applicant does not note salary requirements. Contact information is provided with posted positions.

The interview process begins with HR, and if they feel you're right for a certain department, they'll set up a meeting with someone from that area. There are usually only two interviews, and they're usually "very relaxed." In some cases, "one job doesn't work out but HR thinks they can place you in another department, so they might contact you again, later on," insiders tell us. "After your interviews, be sure to send letters thanking the interviewer for his or her time," advises one source. "This shows that you're interested and aggressive enough to pursue the job by writing a letter."

"As for technical stuff," one insider reports, "Microsoft Word, Filemaker, Quark, and Excel are about as technical as it will get." Though "if you're going for a copy editor's job, you'll have to take a test. Your English grammar has to be well above average, and you should be very familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style."

Our Survey Says

Big business

"We're not Wall Street," one insider comments, "so dress code is fairly casual." People do "wear nice dresses or suits if a big meeting is going on." "Friday is officially casual day, when most people wear jeans and sneakers," reports one insider. "It boggled my mind," notes one insider from the children's book imprint, - that the division would be as "big business" as it is." "A major issue," another adds, "is you have to be willing to sit on the bottom of the totem pole for a while. It takes on average about three years for someone to go from Editorial Assistant 2 to Assistant 1 to Assistant editor." Salaries are "roughly 21K" to start, "which is difficult in New York." "But on the whole, we do like it here," attests one entry-level employee. One slightly more tenured employee has a contrary opinion: "for a publishing company, it's uncomfortably corporate and formal." That insider goes on to specify that "if you like being abused, underpaid and overworked, you'll love publishing, especially HarperCollins."

Long hours

Company hours are officially 9 to 5:30, but "a lot of people get in late, then work late." The majority of people "on management level put in 10-hour days or come in weekends," and sources say "sometimes entry level people do too." Keep in mind that "there is no overtime pay unless it's for some big project. Luckily, "entry-level people belong to a union at Harper - they don't have to work overtime." Insiders say "the vacation package - two weeks plus six personal days - is fairly generous," and during the summer, employees get to punch out at 2 p.m. on Fridays.

There are few minorities employed at HarperCollins, but that's the case throughout the publishing industry, insiders tell us. In any event, our contacts say, "there is zero tolerance" of discrimination of any kind at HarperCollins. As one insider explained, "the hierarchy in publishing is based more on one's rank and money-making ability than one's sex or skin color." You will find a lot of women at HarperCollins, especially in children's books, insiders report.

For book lovers

Though the salaries admittedly are the worst part of the publishing industry, idealistic insiders at HC eagerly slave away for the opportunity to "work with extremely creative people, both in-house and outside." One person is happy to report that her job keeps her "in constant touch with writers, artists, teachers, librarians and other educators." People in the promotional department get to "travel quite a bit, wine and dine our authors, and attend a lot of parties." Company-wide, sources say "the benefits are pretty good," plus "we get discounted movie tickets, reduced gym membership fees, and a free checking account at Citibank." "And then there are the books," rhapsodizes one book-loving insider. "If you love books this is heaven. We publish the best."

Employment Contact

Greg Giangrande
Human Resources

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