-Unhealthy and demoralizing management practices: HarperCollins values employees that are empty vessels who have no ambition, drive or creativity that could infringe on senior management practices that have been in place for decades.
-Want to acquire a book? Expect constant pushback on debut author submissions that aren't represented by the top 10 literary agencies.
-Editors are encouraged to purchase 'big books' and 'heavy hitters' and avoid purchasing books that cost less than $100k.
-Expect the dedication you've given to your imprint and your desire to work there to be unceasingly called into question. Actual questions that were asked at my indie imprint: "Do you want to be an editor? Why? How hard are you willing to work?"
-Communication is nonexistent: no one in any department knows what the others are doing at any given time.
-Management would rather avoid conflict and force you out than advocate for employees.
-The Money Consciousness Mentality is exhausting and demeaning. Number One Priority is finding the next Hunger Games genre book that will make the company $$$ that you will never see.
-Professional goals are never outlined when you begin working at the company, while annual reviews are often skipped (good luck on getting that merit raise!)
-No room for growth. Full stop.
-Human resources comes from a non-book publishing world (Actual question from an HR person working at HC: "What does it mean to acquire a book?") and is unsympathetic to the realities of editorial work and management practices currently in place
-If you work in editorial, be prepared to take work home nights, weekends and holidays. There is no work-life balance.
-Pay is the lowest of any NYC publishing house
Overall:
This is not a company that invests meaningfully in its employees or authors.
