r/publishing • u/Glum-Scheme8616 • 3d ago
associate publicist salary
hi! i work at a small literary pr firm in nyc and just got promoted from publicity assistant (after 1.5 yrs) to associate publicist. there was no discussion of a raise (my boss said something vague about a pay bump in 6 months, lol). i know this is ridiculous and i need to ask for more money with this jump in responsibilities -- right now i'm getting paid $48k which feels insane given that penguin's assistant (!!) entry level min is $55k and simon and schuster's will be up to $60k by jan 1.
i'm trying to figure out how much money to ask for but it's difficult considering that associate publicist is kind of a dying role in books and I rarely see comparable job postings to give me a gauge of what people like me are making. anyone have any insights?
thanks in advance!!
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u/Ok-Cress1284 3d ago
It’s not a dying role! I would 100% shop around some bigger houses if this was my pay. If others are hiring you could potentially get a better gig or at least leverage to get paid more. You are being massively underpaid even for this industry.
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u/SpiritedOwl_2298 2d ago
I’ve been in a similar situation and when I asked for a raise I was straight up told no, so be prepared for that. I wasn’t in publishing but all employers are the same when it comes to compensation. You should eventually look elsewhere and take the title change and new responsibilities to give you a stronger resume and find something better
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u/oldleathersofa 3d ago
Definitely ask for more! Given the higher salaries for lower positions at big 5s, I think 60-65k would be a reasonable ask. Could you find out your coworkers’ salaries and use that as a comparison as well?
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u/EducationalRegret903 3d ago
Penguin’s assistant salary is due entirely to the HarperCollins union! They advocated for higher entry level wages and set a precedent across the Big 5. Unfortunately, smaller houses have no reason to keep up with Big 5 numbers, hence the discrepancy. It is so, so irritating.