Show Me the Money: YPG Executive Track Hosts Panel on Salary Negotiation

By Becca Worthington

On Tuesday, April 29th from 12:30-1:30pm, over 60 members of the AAPs Young to Publishing Group
from 18 member publishing houses, as well as several members of the New York City chapter of the
Womens National Book Association, attended a YPG Executive Track/WNBA Brown Bag Lunch on
Managing Your Career and Negotiating Your Salary. The focus of the event was to provide a forum for a
panel of professionals to offer important and concrete advice about how you can position yourself to be
successful, learn how to ask tough questions, navigate the corporate ladder, and work with your boss to
achieve your goals.

Panelists included Michele Daly, Human Resources, Scholastic; Susan Gordon, President, Lynne Palmer
Executive Recruitment; Tina Jordan, Vice President, Association of American Publishers; and Julia
Montgomery, Technical Business Analyst, Macmillan; and the event was co-moderated by Jane Kinney-
Denning, President, Women's National Book Association-NYC and Executive Director of Internships and
Corporate Outreach for Pace University MS in Publishing, and Sara Sargent, Chair of the Young to
Publishing Group and Editor at Simon & Schuster.

Kinney-Denning opened with the insight that women are still paid 79 cents to the dollar for the same job
as men, attributing much of that to the view that women often have weaker negotiating skills and are
less comfortable engaging in interactions with employers. She expressed the hope that this event be a
step towards encouraging everyone in the publishing community to invest in their careers by investing in
their relationships, their networking opportunities, their mentoring relationships, and themselves.

YPG members submitted dozens of questions before the event, such as: How do I negotiate a higher
salary when Im not necessarily being promoted or taking on more responsibilities? What can I do to
successfully request a raise or title change between performance periods? How do I start the
conversation with my boss to talk about my progress and how to advance my career without sounding
like Im unhappy with my job? Read on for the panelists answers to these questions and many more.

***

How and when do you negotiate your salary? How do you suggest bringing up a raise or change in
title when there is no existing position to move in to?

Certainly the most clear (and often most comfortable) times to negotiate a higher salary would be when
accepting a new job or being promoted internally. When you are entering a new organization, that is
the time to negotiate, said Daly, urging prospective hires to practice using the language, What is the
salary range for the position? which then provides the option of negotiating toward the top of the
range. When negotiating around an internal promotion, Daly also urged attendees to respect a
monetary cap if noted, but dont necessarily let that end the negotiation. If they simply can not raise
the salary any higher, then look at negotiating for time, perhaps a third week of vacation, for example,
or a one-time performance bonus.

Gordon seconded this notion, encouraging attendees to show their employers tangible thought behind
the request, such as crunching the requisite numbers. She noted that specifically at the more junior
levels, salary might not be as flexible as desired, but she suggested being creative, and looking at
2
everything from stock options to gym memberships to supplement the salary or negotiating a 10-6 work
day rather than 9-5 if the company offers flexibility on the matter.

Montgomery recommended giving a heads up to the manager that you are interested in discussing your
salary, out of courtesy to allow them time to prepare. Its a business, she said, so make sure you can
make a business case to your boss so that they can argue compensation with the finance department
and their managers. Do everything you can to help your manager think along with you. Point out what
exactly you do, above and beyond your job description, what you are contributing to the bottom line,
and how you are helping the profit center. If proactively requesting a salary discussion, Montgomery
noted that the ideal time would be right before the company finalizes their budget for the next year,
because the company often has a pocket of money set aside for employee rewards that has yet to be
distributed.

To this point, Gordon agreed that specifically when discussing a pay increase, it is vital to remain
pragmatic and take the emotion off the table. Have you taken a course? Point that out. Do you have
numbers of what you have helped the company earn? Bring them, she said. This is not a quick chat.
This will be a scheduled 30-minute conversation.

How do I know if Im making the right salary amount for my title?

The panelists spoke with great assurance with regards to the fact that while there are tricks and tips for
finding out whether your salary is on par with your colleagues, industry surveys can be misleading. That
being said, prospective employees can rest assured that the Human Resources departments are doing
what they can to remain very competitive with one another.

What can I do to make myself a more qualified candidate?

Gordon provided a wealth of knowledge on this point, beginning with curiosity. At any level, be curious
about what others are doing around you. You are a business unit, and to move upward, you should
know what everyone is doing, she said.

She encouraged the attendees to continue learning new skillsnot just technology, but also financial
skills, analytical skills, and a familiarity with publishing law. She suggested that everyone know how the
publishing industry is competing within the big picture of technology, to continue networking, and to
take every opportunity to help others. Gordon also encouraged attendees to make sure to dress the part
for whatever part they want to take in publishing, andin a nice nod to YPGto always be doing things
like what they were doing that day, attending educational industry events at every opportunity.

Most passionately, she encouraged attendees to be okay with failing. Take the jobs that scare you and
face your demons, she said. If youre too comfortable taking an offer, dont do it. You should never
feel like you know everything at your job. Always, always push yourself.

How can I make sure that negotiating a raise or salary does not negatively impact how my boss
perceives me?

The panelists made it collectively clear that one does not have to be disgruntled to be looking for a
change; one can be very happy and love ones job and still be looking for the next step. If youre good,
they agreed, your boss will want to keep you happy. That being said, even if you are unhappy, the
3
panelists were firm in insisting that an employee does not go in with threats or ultimatums unless he or
she is ready to walk, and urged YPG members to keep in mind that while that method works for a finite
period of time, an employer will remember it down the line as a power play. Never, ever, ever use a
counter offer, said Daly. Youre putting your boss up against a wall when you do that, and this industry
is small. No one wants to be put in the corner. Instead, she urged, practice using talking points such
as, I want to grow within the company. Practice in the mirror if you want, but keep the focus on how
much you want to stay within the organization, and how much you love your job and company, while
addressing the reality of how you are doing more than the current position requires.

Gordon added that being logical and backing up an argument with facts is rarely viewed negatively by an
employer. She did, however, stress that it is never a good idea to use counter offers or pit one company
against one another, because both employers will resent you for it.

In further discussion, the panel agreed upon the importance of never comparing oneself to another
employee, however tempting, but rather to only look at yourself and what you have delivered. Pointing
out injustice elsewhere will not be beneficial; nor will engaging in the petty fights. Instead, they urged
the attendees to keep in mind that much of the negotiation truly happens at the beginning of a
relationship, and if an employee works hard to maintain a good relationship with his or her boss from
the start, then the boss will go to bat for them when the time comes.

How important are the bullet points on the resume: title changes, joining organizations, volunteering,
etc.? Any final thoughts?

Overall, all panelists encouraged the attendees to keep in mind how small publishing is in all of their
encounters and decisions. Be truthful, Gordon said. Its about what you are doing, and if you are
looking to make a move to a managerial position, it is much better to indicate that in the cover letter
than falsify your title. The important thing is putting yourself in a visible position.

With regards to including volunteer experience on a resume, Daly said that, given the importance that
Scholastic places on social consciousness and philanthropic initiatives, she personally looks very strongly
for volunteerism, although she understands it may not hold equal weight at other companies.

Montgomery urged everyone present to get in the practice of taking ten minutes every month to create
a bulleted list of all projects done throughout the year, highlighting the ones that fall outside of the job
description. When presenting the list to your employer, talk about how your love for the company
prompted you to contribute more in all of those ways. If your boss still tells you that you dont have a
business case, she said, make sure that your response is very sincerely asking, Then what can I do to
help convince you that I do have a business case? What else would you like to see from me? and work
from there.

***

If you have other ideas for future YPG Executive Track panels, please send your ideas to
youngtopublishing@gmail.com.