For 40 years—since before many middle-level publishing people of today were even born—the Lynne Palmer agency (now known as Lynne Palmer Executive Recruitment) has been finding jobs in book publishing for a multitude of eager applicants, and they still keep coming.
There are differences between the applicants now and those 20 years ago, when she joined the agency fresh from human resources at Random House, said president Susan Gordon. "They're much more knowledgeable about it, and more inclined toward the business side than they used to be." But one thing hasn't changed: they're still concerned and disappointed at the comparatively low salaries they're offered, though they're sufficiently eager to be in the book business that they swallow them anyway. (See PW's annual salary survey.)
Gordon noted that way back in the early '80s, most applicants were interested largely in the editorial side, "with maybe only one in 10 attracted by the business side." Now, however, there's greatly increased interest in sales and marketing, promotion and publicity. "They know that to be successful in publishing these days you have to be able to read a business plan." Part of this changed emphasis comes, she thinks, from the fact that many of them attend publishing courses before applying. Gordon herself is on the boards of such programs at both NYU and the University of Denver, and helps direct graduates to later jobs. "They get a good feel from those courses about what each department in publishing does, and some change their minds about what they eventually want to do."
Lynne Palmer has three divisions, serving applicants for jobs in book publishing, magazines and what the company calls "medical communication." Each branch is about equal in the number of jobs it places, with the book side by no means a laggard; in fact, said Gordon, in 2004 so far it has been considerably more active than it was in the previous year. The agency places people in a wide range of spots, from entry-level positions to vice-presidential ones; recent hires include v-ps of finance, operations, and sales and marketing. About 80% of placements in book publishing are made in the New York metropolitan area, the remaining 20% are in California and the South. "We have 12 openings in California right now," Gordon said.
The majority of hires are still of white employees, despite considerably stronger efforts by publishers to reach out to minority applicants, "something that wasn't really being addressed years ago," said Gordon—though she thinks that, with the greater emphasis now on multicultural titles and marketing to minority groups, that will slowly change.
Are there common misconceptions about seeking jobs in publishing? Apart from everyone expecting to be paid more, Gordon said, the most usual one is that many would-be book people think the Internet has now supplanted an agency as the best way to find a job, that online networking can do the trick. "I tell people to use more than one source. Networking is fine, but we have a combined 80 years of experience here," she said. "You can now e-mail us your résumé, but we still want to see you in person and help you make the right connection."
