Is Penguin Random House a good company to work for?

Penguin Random House has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 1,557 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 73% of employees would recommend working at Penguin Random House to a friend and 71% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Penguin Random House have been left by employees working as Editorial Intern , Intern and Director .

Does Penguin Random House pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Penguin Random House employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Penguin Random House . This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Penguin Random House ?

73% of Penguin Random House employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Penguin Random House 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Penguin Random House ?

Editorial Assistant (50) , Editor (33) , Intern (29) , Editorial Intern (25) , Publicity Assistant (22) , Designer (21) , Marketing Assistant (20) , Publicity Intern (15) , Assistant Editor (13) , Director (13) , Senior Designer (13) , Manager (12) , Graphic Designer (11) , Marketing Coordinator (11) , Author (10)

What are the pros of working at Penguin Random House according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefit as well as perks" ((in 181 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 134 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 93 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 66 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 45 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Penguin Random House according to real employee reviews?

"Pay was low and that was about it" ((in 141 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 29 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 27 reviews)); "Limited career progression" ((in 13 reviews)); "Long hours running into weekends" ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about Penguin Random House layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Penguin Random House layoffs and their outlook for job security at Penguin Random House in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Penguin Random House locations?

New York , Westminster , Crawfordsville , Brooklyn , Baltimore , Hampstead , Chicago , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Reno , Woodstock , Kirkwood , Forest Hills , Austin , Victoria , Gulfport , England , Carmel , Indianapolis , Cincinnati , Emeryville , Mountain View , Iowa City , Seattle , New Milford , Atlanta , Old Tappan , Remote , Antares , Canada

Penguin Random House reviews

3.9

73% would recommend to a friend

(1,193 total reviews)

Nihar Malaviya

83% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (1,193 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Penguin Random House has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,193 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Penguin Random House employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

5.0

Jan 26, 2016

Great place to work

Senior editor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

PRH has the most market share, most resources, and most entrepreneurial culture of the major trade publishing houses. There's no better place to begin your career.

Cons

Starting salaries while competitive with other publishers are low. You will only ever get a meaningful raise in salary if you bring your supervisors an outside offer. Opportunities to advance therefore require a great deal of personal initiative.

3.0

Jan 24, 2016

Great publishing program

Senior manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Solid benefits and pretty relaxed atmosphere, summer hours and extended Xmas break, paid courses that would help with your career

Cons

Changes in the book industry and on the retail level that are influencing hiring/staff levels, unknown future overall, similar to newspapers/magazine

4.0

Jan 21, 2016

Marketing Assistant

Marketing assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I had applied for another position that I didn't get, and the HR recruiter reached out to me about a new position that hadn't been listed yet. Overall, she was extremely helpful. This was when the company had just merged with another, and she was very frank about my concerns. I interviewed with HR, then with an associate director, then finally with the Director of Marketing. Overall, it was a very fast process and it was under a week between my first interview and the offer.

Cons

It's publishing, so it doesn't pay very well, though the starting salary is above other publishers. Otherwise, the company has a great culture, and great benefits, vacation, etc.

Viewing 1072 - 1074 of 1,193 Reviews

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Jobs at Penguin Random House

Crawfordsville, Indiana: Light Picker/Packer: 3rd shift $18.40/hr

Senior Designer, WHO HQ, Penguin Young Readers (Open to Remote)

Director, Online & Digital Sales (Open to Remote)

Reno, NV: Light Picker/Packer: 2nd shift $18.00/hr

Reno, NV: Material Handler, Weekend A: Sat - Wed $19.35/hr.