Hachette Book Group Reviews

Pros

Paid. Informational talks from various departments were very helpful.

Cons

Lots of entry level positions, but not much moving up within the company.

Pros

Good benefits package; very central location; a few of the books and authors are interesting; most colleagues are polite, and only a few are obnoxious.

Cons

Mediocre talent and skill among the colleagues, especially many of the managers, who either don't recognize talent among the staff or are threatened by it. Either way, it's extremely unlikely that you'll advance, unless you work in the Editorial Dept., and even then it will probably take many years unless you're a publisher's favorite. Rave performance reviews mean nothing; they do not translate into advancement or significant raises. There are not enough offices as opposed to cubicles. Some of the infrastructure, like shipping and printing/faxing facilities and practices are poorly designed and malfunction often.

Advice to Senior Management

Think initiatives through before enacting revolutionary changes. Upper management generally goes off half cocked and leaves the staff to scramble to clean up the messes they create. Managers should also be less business-conventional in their thinking and less like caricatures from a sitcom. More common sense would be very welcome.

Pros

Free books, Good Coffee and great IT Support

Cons

Management is Unfair and Arrogant. HR is absolutely clueless. They swear that this is a great place to work, when in truth, it is the least popular publisher to be employed with. the hours are long, the employees are very unhappy. Mostly because the management is unfair and there are limited opportunities for advancement.

Advice to Senior Management

Put more stock into the abilities of your employees and try your best to get their feedback and really listen to it. Not everyone is perfect.

Pros

Publishing is a really difficult business to break into, and Hachette makes it worth it. Summer hours, amazing benefits, free books - and the people really care about doing their best. Everyone I ever had to deal with was pleasant and competent.

Cons

The management can be a little distant. David Young is great, but generally the folks in the offices are a little inaccessible.

Advice to Senior Management

Certainly it's important to be friendly to your assistant specifically, but also try reaching out to other assistants - we help you out too.

Pros

Its awesome to work in Manhattan and so close to grand central, especially if you use the metro north. You get all the free books you want. Believe me, after I was done with that place I could barely fit all the books in my bookshelf. People in HR are awesome and plan the greatest meetings for interns during the summer. You learn a lot about the publishing world and how it works.

Cons

I never felt comfortable there. My manager wasnt the best person to say the least. My work wasnt that important and meaningful and i really had a bad time there.

Advice to Senior Management

Get new intern managers!

Pros

Great management, benefits are wonderful, I really enjoyed all of the other staff as well. HOnestly, just a great place to work.

Cons

Sometimes the work could be pretty tedious, and boring. Some of the divisions have a "snooty" feel to them, with the publishers avoiding contact with "lesser folk".

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your underlings - there are tons of great ideas floating around, but too often you close them off and dont listen.

Pros

Great office. Fun people. Comfortable atmosphere. benefits and perks great.

Cons

growth opportunities are rare. pay is on lower end of scale. dress code. flex time.

Advice to Senior Management

Not sure.

Pros

Great place to work - great, talented people

Cons

Lots of work lots of hours

Advice to Senior Management

More and better feedback to employees. Better feedback training.

Pros

Good hours, well-run, financially stable, free books, summer fridays. Very nice office space and location, opportunity to work in publishing

Cons

mediocre books and reputation, stale work environment. Very little opportunity for advancement, low pay, people who care more about the snootiness of being in the book business than the books themselves.

Advice to Senior Management

Considering the industry challenges, company is doing alright. No opinion.

Pros

Great people, great environment, creative, fun. Most peple who worked where I did had been there for over 10 years.

Cons

Corporate, sometimes felt like the smallest drop in the bucket, which I was in a company that is as alrge as HBG.

Advice to Senior Management

Query your employees when you have a problem or are changing policies-they know how the buiness is running, and will be honest.