marketing intern

editorial intern

editor

editorial assistant

senior editor

HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin

Great company to work for, depending on the department. Not a lot of job advancement opportunities for people that are career driven, want to reach the next level, or simply want to to follow market trends. Department managers are often stuck in the "we've always done it this way" mentality. Given the nature of the publishing industry and its current market standing, their reluctancy to try new things is understandable, however.  

The hardest part of the job is often trying to work with with under trained coworkers (who often have no degree or background in what they are hired to do) that seem to be thrown to twist in the wind by their department managers with little support or direction on how to do the basic functions of their jobs. 

Benefits, vacation time, and pay are wonderful. If you have a family or large financial responsibilities this is a fantastic company to work for, as they do their best to put family before everything.

Day consists of receiving and responding to service requests for maintenance, new hires and all related employee service matters. Responding to correspondence and dispatching staff accordingly is a very delicate matter which means you are always needed and monitoring daily workflow in the department. I've learned to manage my time efficiently and deligate work accordingly. My communication skills have improved greatly as It is very important to convey issues of importance to management and understand to the requests of associates in order to respond effectively. The toughest part of the job is to respond to so many while effectively providing a swift turn around to request. The most rewarding aspect is that your day moves quickly and you are perceived as a highly needed part of staff. Its also very good to get a thank you after completing a difficult task or project.

Moving to an open plan office has created certain challenges for the departments that are not in the creative side of the business. There are a lot of disruptions during the work day that adversely affect the work flow. 
In my department, specifically, there's also a very negative environment created by "cliques" and led by management. The director, instead of leading the department, focuses on minor things irrelevant to the work being done by the managers. The director has been instrumental in creating a "high school" type of environment by forming cliques with the assistants, while alienating the managers and undermining their roles at every opportunity. 

On a positive note, the managers do work very well with each other for the most part and independently, which contributes to the continuous success of the department. 

The most enjoyable part of the job, and the only perk offered: half-day Fridays

I was so excited for an opportunity with this company and particular imprint but regardless of the “freedom” that’s allowed it still felt unstructured and somewhat caged in. People are friendly-ish but some higher-ups made sure to never introduce themselves and even contributed to a lower level colleague’s immense discomfort in the office. Lots of passive aggressiveness and strange shady vibes across departments. They make it seem like you have a chance to move up but Human Resources won’t even let you know if you’re being passed on as an internal candidate. There is no room for anyone, there aren’t openings for new entry level employees yet there’s a need and some assistants are supporting far more execs than they should be. Hoping that my experience was a fluke but have heard similar stories from others in my position. It was a decent experience but an unbalanced workplace for sure.

HarperCollins is one of the remaining major book publishers. It has a rich history of 200 years. The company has great products; many books most people know. 

HarperCollins is, however, in a stagnant to declining market. In order to maintain/grow earnings it must constantly reduce overhead and acquire new businesses. This creates a level of uncertainty with employees, as the industry continues to consolidate. 

Harper has competitive salaries and benefits and competent management. Due to the nature of the market, however, more and more is required of fewer people. While technology helps to offset some of the increasing workload, it is hard to ever "turn off" the work day. This is likely similar to other businesses, and thus not unique to HarperCollins.

As time goes on I understand more of the bigger picture. While information was spoken, until you get a feel for how things work and how people interact and what is expected, you understand better why things are as they are.  i believe that they're pretty progressive, and particularly higher management levels are insightful, regarding and aware of market issues. The culture is a little difficult since many of the employees have been there for many years. They're practically family, so new hires often feel isolated and unaware.I learn new things almost every day, since it's such a huge company that there's always more to learn. I thoroughly enjoy the flexibility of the company, always looking to the future and projects in motion to get us there. 

Harper Collins Publishers was an excellent place to work.  Worked there for 13 years, unfortunately I had to leave for a family emergency.  I had to take care of my elderly mother who is now in a permanent nursing facility.  I am presently not working and am looking for a permanent full time position that will utilize the skills that I have obtained through my years of experience.  I am a hard working/dedicated person who loves a challenge and enjoys to do various types of duties in an accounting position.  I love working with accounts payable and have done bank reconciliations and have done a little of accounts receivable.  I am looking for a daytime position and I love to laugh.  Thank You

I thought this was a great place to work for the first few years. Not many chances for advancement immediately, but the higher ups are always looking for people who stand out. And if you ask questions and volunteer to learn new tasks you will get the chance to advance.
But a big problem is the company's desire to expand to new areas without having the appropriate software and resources needed. It puts a very large strain on all employees since there are not enough heads, and the blame falls on the employees, who are already working overtime (unpaid), for not doing more.
There is also no communication. There is no communication process to ensure all employees are given the information they need, so many people are frequently "left out of the loop". 

HarperCollins Christian Publishing offered exciting opportunities for growth and advancement. Management encouraged creative thinking and supported new ideas focused on trends. Co-workers are caring and supportive. Flexible work options like work-at-home days during the week and telecommuting for staff with unique situations allow for a diverse and healthy staff. A generous benefit program that also included a discount program for a wide variety of services and for company product were great supplements to salary. Salary rate was a bit low when compared to the market average, but bonus incentives and annual cost of living raises helped. A collaborative environment makes this company a joy to work for.

I loved working here. Both my boss and my boss's boss (and come to think of it, even her boss) were friendly and fun and hands-on and really good at their jobs. Work is done in waves based on the production schedules of multiple overlapping projects, so occasionally I'd be swamped and work late to meet deadlines. But that's par for most jobs. There were many opportunities to learn about the traditional elements of the job (typography, design standards, etc.) and what other designers were doing (comps to the NY Book Awards show), as well as the latest technologies (Adobe would come give presentations of their new suites annually), and you would learn about the next season's book releases via quarterly editorial presentations. And the free shelves -- racks of books that anyone could take -- were awesome too.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Marketing intern 24 salaries reported	$17.88 per hour
Editorial intern 9 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour
Editor 9 salaries reported	$65,444 per year
Editorial assistant 4 salaries reported	$50,000 per year
Senior editor 2 salaries reported	$75,500 per year

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