Pros
The team is full of the smartest, kindest people I've had the pleasure of working with. I learned so much working there, and wouldn't trade it for the world.
Cons
If you want to live off ramen and beans for the first 10 years of your career, apply for a job at HarperCollins. The pay is despicable: I was working 50 hour weeks (at least) and barely able to pay my bills. HarperCollins likes to think it is progressive and talk about how it raised the base pay to $45,000 for entry-level employees, but for all of us working at the entry level in New York and San Francisco, that's not far from the poverty line. I started at $39,000 my first year. Also, I'm a woman, and I learned my male coworker (who I trained and who hadn't been there as long as me) was earning more than me for a WHOLE year. The response? They barely cared. A coworker once told me I should marry a rich guy so that I could work in publishing. What's worse is HarperCollins has no incentive to change because no matter how many people quit, thousands of people rush to fill the jobs. Publishing is romanticized so that people think the low wages are worth it. It's not. Financial security is so important, but HarperCollins just wants you to be so hyped about your "passion job" that you forget that. Also, advancement is glacial. Don't hope for a raise or a promotion for at least two years. Do yourself a favor and work somewhere willing to pay and recognize you for your time.
