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Editorial Assistant
Posted on 04/17/2006 by harlequin_hater
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I worked for a Harlequin books, romatic fiction publisher, under two of the worst editorial managers -- both were impossible, lying wenches. DOS spent the entire day buying goodies on QVC while her staff of two (myself and another editor) drowns in work. Moreover she hated sharing me with her boss. She switched deadlines on me, lost manuscripts which she blamed on me, and repeatedly referred to me as a temporary worker to authors. My other boss LW is the type of person who is pleased with nothing and no one. She yelled, snapped and showed little understanding for the fact that I was never trained to do the job. While I spoke highly of her and respected her, she ended up stabbing me in the back.
At Harlequin, it is a put up and shut up environment. At one time, I thought the company culture must be creative and my dreams of working for a company that published the books I loved would be a great place to start my career, but that was not the case.
The editors will stab you in the back. After three years, one editorial assistant was passed over because she demanded the company treat her with respect. LW and DOS got there wish and I quit.
My life is better for it. Life is too short to work for a boss who mistreats you on a daily basis. I own a successful publishing and retail company with employees who are happy to come to work. I made it a point to never treat my employees the way Harlequin treats their employees.
Six months ago, one and half years after quitting, I made my first million. And my bosses are still slogging manuscripts for their bosses while I am heading to a European villa for three months. Revenge is delicious.
Life does get sweeter when you dump your bosses.
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Dharmadee(04/17/2006)
You are FABULOUS! I think you should definitely write a book. I am serious...BIG HUGS from me to you!
abdhc@att.net(04/18/2006)
Good for you....Sometimes it takes working for the worst to get us motivated and moving in the right direction. Congratulations and look forward to many more millions. Where are you located? Open a business in Colorado and I will come and work for you.
abdhc@att.net(04/18/2006)
Good for you....Sometimes it takes working for the worst to get us motivated and moving in the right direction. Congratulations and look forward to many more millions. Where are you located? Open a business in Colorado and I will come and work for you.
 cnubelevit(04/20/2006)
My hero! Wish we could all do that.
harlequin_hater(11/05/2006)
UPDATE: It is now three years since I left Harlequin. I would like to say that you forget rotten bosses, but experiences at Harlequin still impact my decisions today . I have started three successful multi-million dollar businesses; and yet, I could hear the voice of LW/DOS in the back of my mind noting all my shortcomings as an editorial assitant. As a boss, I would sometimes see my employees fear telling me they were overwhelmed with work and other everyday responsibilities. I knew at sometime they had a rotten boss who set the law and never botherd to listen to those breaking their backs in the trenches.
At HAR every Monday, the editorial staff was called out on the carpet for having late work. Editors were often excused, but assistants were not so lucky. This experience flashed in my mind the day one of my managers turned to a new hire and went through a list of what she had done and what was late. I broke out in a sweat and halted the entire meeting.
Here I was the founder of the company and I identified more with a new hire than my district manager. My company is successful because I know the people at the bottom do most of the work, rarely get any of the credit and need raises in dollars, not pennies. I go to lunch every week with my new hire and made it a point to tell her my experiences at Harlequin. I also made it a point that inspiring each member in their team everyday is their goal. And that raises start at the bottom trenches and go up the ladder. We broke 3 million with that simple idea.
People want to work in places where they feel empowered, not powerless. I am 150% better at the job than DOS/LW for this simple reason. I listen to my workers and understand our mutual needs. My management mantra is, "My workers. My Clients. My Products." The only aspects of this that Harlequin has down is the products.
It was not an easy road to recognize that HAR taught me lessons of value. Because I felt like such a COMPLETE FAILURE when I left Harlequin. It was two years before I could pick up a romance book without hearing LW/DOC voices over my shoulder. I was an over achiever who had beat a brain tumor, fell in love with the genre of romantic fiction and stunned everyone when I graduated college. No one believed that I would have the cognative function to finish reading a book, much less edit it.
My background made it ten times worse when the dream wore off and reality became a hellish nightmare that lasted 49 weeks. You never forget how long it lasted.
Looking back, I consider myself lucky to have had two rotten bosses. I can close the book on this chapter of employment. I know that I had the drive, skills and wisdom to succeed at HAR. It was unfortunate that LW/DOS were more concerned with stepping on workers instead of building one hell of a leader.
A lot of people ask me, "does it feel good to know you are richer than LW/DOS will ever be?" I won't lie. It felt damn good for awhile. I used to think how wonderful it would be to run into them and rub it in their faces. That's part of the healing process. But those thoughts never erased the memories of monday meetings, cold emails and humilating reprimands in public by LW. It wasn't until I had lunch with a new hire and replaced those bad memories with new ones. Of both bosses, I respected LW the most and wished she had taken the time to talk to me, not at me. My new hire has a mentor that is teaching her, talking with her and making sure she succeeds in her job. I'm sure I would have managed people much differently had I never been lucky enough to have a rotten job.
For those of you in a rotten job, quit and start a new chapter in your life. You be the writer, empower yourself to better things. I am living proof it can happen!
 avid reader(11/06/2006)
This is a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing your update. You sound like a rare kind of person who is able to acheive success and still keep perspective and stay grounded. All too often bosses and higher ups forget and ignore the fact that is really the peon workers that make their business run. I also think that your experiences in life shaped you for the better. Eventhough they were very very tough and the scars are still present, they have made you a wonderful individual with a heart. The very best to you!
 Dharmadee(11/07/2006)
Thanks again! I am starting a new chapter, and I am writing a book (seriously). You ARE an inspiration-more hugs from me to you. Thank you for a ray of hope in this otherwise bleak labor/management picture.
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