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Penguin Random House

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Comfortable, Friendly, and Slow to Change - Editorial Assistant Penguin Random House Employee Review

3.0
Feb 28, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Office culture is generally friendly and people are eager to help. The benefits are good. Perks include free books and a large number of vacation days. Company discounts at museums and in-house exercise classes, gym, and wellness benefits are nice. PRH also offers a number of professional development opportunities and some mentorship programs.

Cons

In editorial specifically, it is very difficult to achieve recognition and/or promotion through hard work. Moving from editorial assistant to editor is likely to take 5-6 years or more in some departments, and as a result there is a lot of turnover. There is an expectation that editors and assistants will work constantly without overtime, check email while out of the office, and avoid taking time off. As the company is slow to recognize achievements and promote talent, so it is slow to change on the whole. The publishing industry is in desperate need of innovation, and yet publishers are afraid to experiment. There is a culture of fear around risk. Management tends to miss the forest for the trees.

Explore other reviews about Penguin Random House

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

super friendly work environment, very understanding, very fun

Cons

in consumer marketing department, a large number of people work remotely

5.0
Jun 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Caring people. Psychological safety is emphasized by people at every level. I feel like leadership at each step of the reporting chain is very approachable and transparent. • Great work/life balance. • There is a lot of openness to trying new technologies or doing different things for such a large and established organization. There is very little "trend chasing," it's more like you're listened to. As the CEO started out as a technologist, he has a realistic view of what new tools (including, but not just, AI) can do for us. • Informal, especially for a company created by the merger of two nearly-100 year old publishing firms and was recently acquired by a nearly-200 year old company. • Company supports learning and development. • Free books! • I care greatly about the company's mission and it's clear how my work impacts the company's ability to execute on it. • Things often move slowly, which is both a pro and a con.

Cons

• Pay and insurance are very average, but I can live with that. This is a much bigger con for employees whose jobs require them to be on-site, especially in e.g. London and New York. • Said learning and development seem to have a ...deliberate pace. While this is fine and what I wanted, other tech people coming in from more "tech-y" organizations mightn't gel with it. • Things often move slowly, which is both a pro and a con.

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