Lay-Offs And New Hires

Would you like to work for "...one of America's leading publishers of textbooks, educational software, fiction, nonfiction and reference works..."?

In all likelihood, so would the hundreds of people who have gotten the sack recently from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the whale that was swallowed by the Riverdeep minnow.

There's been rounds of consolidations as Harcourt and Houghton Mifflin become one, and that's meant a great deal of synergies being realized. In other words, several people were made redundant because Harcourt already had enough of certain types of employees.

What neither firm had enough of, apparently, is Editorial Associates for the Children's Department. There's an opening.

Here's what you'd be doing if you were lucky enough to get hired, and you've got to believe that none of the hundreds of synergies were qualified or they'd have snatched up the position rather than go on the dole.

The Editorial Associate provides editorial support for assigned
projects.

Sounds simple enough. But you'll also be expected to proofread, copy edit, traffic manuscripts, write selling copy for tip sheets, write flap copy catalog copy, and when you've got that nailed down you're expected to read and write reader's reports, handle agent relations and do research on authors and illustrators.

So it's getting to be eight at night and your work day still isn't finished. Before you go home, you'll have to track materials, correspond with authors and freelancers, create and maintain files, do the photocopying, distribute those copies, and schedule meetings.

Not just anyone can handle that sort of job. HMHRiverdeep et al. is looking for an employee who can work independently, set priorities, be well organized, manage projects well, and be able to communicate well with authors, illustrators, agents. Not to mention being possessed of customer service skills.

If this sounds like you, and you don't mind doing the work of three people for the pay of one, then you can apply on-line at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and ask after Job Number 5235.