Publishing Employees Are Unionizing, and They Need Readers’ Support
We can help build an equitable industry for all
Introduction
Over the past few months, employees across the publishing world have begun forming unions. While their efforts follow in the footsteps of only a few others in the industry, historical successes demonstrate the power and potential of widespread unionization.
One might be surprised to learn that publishing unions are a rarity. Despite other similar fields in which joining a union as an employee is the norm—such as with screenwriting, acting, and journalism—only one of the Big Five publishers is unionized. The same goes for bookstores, both independent and corporations like Barnes & Noble.
But since the start of 2026, we’ve seen at least five publishing-related companies announce they’re unionizing: Hachette, Catapult Book Group (Catapult, Counterpoint, Soft Skull, and Hawthorne Books), the American Library Association, University of Chicago Press, and the South Burlington Barnes & Noble. If formed, Hachette would become only the second of the Big Five publishers to unionize, the first being HarperCollins, which has been union strong for 80 years.
This wave isn’t unprecedented; in fact, publishers have taken advantage of their employees far too long. The industry is notoriously underpaid, understaffed, and under-resourced, all of which of course are exacerbated right now by the ever-increasing cost of living, strict in office policies, and threats of AI. And when we look at the few unionized publishers—like HarperCollins and Verso Books—we can see how their demands have helped ensure employee rights and protections.
As of when we’re writing this, most of these unions are headed to vote, and some are even facing union-busting efforts from their employer to discourage employee support. But to successfully unionize, these employees don’t just need votes from within the company, they need support from readers, authors, reviewers, and beyond.
In today’s newsletter, we’re looking at the demands of these unions, why the change could be incredibly impactful, and how us readers can play a role in pushing their goals forward to build an equitable publishing industry for all.
A Deeper Look
In 2022, the HarperCollins Union went on strike not once, but twice. They sought a handful of core changes, including raising the minimum salary from $45,000 a year to $50,000 a year (yep, minimum), additional DEI commitments, and further union recognition. Three months into their second strike, they secured a contract that met their goals. And as they negotiated to secure that $50,000 entry level salary, other publishers initiated similar increases to stay competitive. Hachette and Macmillan both raised starting salaries to $47,500 (Macmillan’s was at $42,000 before). One month later, Penguin Random House increased theirs to $48,000, and by the end of 2024, had raised that to $51,000.
Now, depending on where you live, these salaries might be a living wage. But the Big Five operate out of New York City, and the HarperCollins strike was timed around a big return-to-office push from the publisher, meaning once again employees had even less flexibility around affordable housing. Currently, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a living wage in NYC is $79,469 pre tax for a single person without children. Such low salaries enable the publishing industry to further perpetuate a lack of diversity, which currently sits at 72.5% white according to the latest Lee & Low Diversity Baseline survey. Many entry level (and even mid-level) employees depend upon generational wealth to afford the career. And for those who don’t have that privilege, second (or third) part time roles are not uncommon. So how is it surprising to anybody, employers especially, that these employees want to unionize to push for a living wage? (Rhetorical, of course. We know the answer is capitalism.)
Earlier this year, the HarperCollins Union once again secured a contract that raises entry salaries to $55,200 a year by 2028 and modified the company’s Equal Rights Clause, amongst other guarantees. And Verso Books, a radical indie press with offices in New York, London, and Paris, recently agreed to the Verso Books Guild’s demands for a $60,000 salary floor by the end of 2028. With these latest increases, we can hope that other publishers will once again follow suit.
But, of course, these companies are also increasingly being bought by private equity or media conglomerates, neither of which have great reputations for paying a liveable wage. HarperCollins is owned by News Corp, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch (thank god for their union). Follow the Hachette line up through their business and at the top is a billionaire who has invested a ton in France’s far right. Simon & Schuster is owned by KKR, a private equity company that invests in Israeli-owned surveillance companies. Barnes & Noble is owned by Elliott Investment Management, whose founder donated to Trump’s campaign.
In a recent Instagram post, the Hachette Workers Coalition (HWC) writes: “Companies want you to think about ‘what you could lose.’ What about what we could WIN?”
Union-busting frequently leans on claims that unionizing results in lower pay, or that HR and senior management can help instead, or that a company simply can’t afford to take care of its employees. James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, is infamous for visiting stores that initiate the unionizing process and claiming that things can be worked out without a union (while also stating he’s not “anti-union”). Hachette has hired a union-busting firm who is now facilitating “employee training” sessions to try and persuade employees to vote against forming a union (including via a pamphlet entitled “Why We Believe Hachette is Stronger Without a Union”).
But there’s so much that employees—and really, the entire industry—could win, especially if we look at existing unions. Union protections enable more individuals to enter publishing and stay in publishing to build a career. They put DEI standards and goals in place, which can help diversify the industry and, therefore, its output. They ensure employees are protected against the whims of AI, which in turn ensures art and its creators are preserved, invested in, and valued.
Ways to Respond
Right now, many of these employees are in the process of, or about to, hold elections to formalize a union because their employer didn’t voluntarily recognize the unionization. But there is much readers, authors, creators, and more can do to help these employees during the formation process and beyond.
Follow and amplify them on social media to stay updated and spread the word:
While the American Library Association Workers Guild does not currently have a social media account, Illinois Cultural Workers United is sharing updates
You can also check out a handful of additional small presses and indie bookstores that are unionized here
Learn more about why they’re fighting and pay attention to how their employer is responding. For example, are they voluntarily recognizing the union? Are they engaging in union-busting efforts? What does their behavior tell us about the company?
Want to know more about why independent bookstores should unionize? This piece from TeenVogue is a few years old, but is still an important read.
Abide by the union’s calls to action, including strikes, petitions, etc. The HarperCollins strike in 2022-23 was in part successful because readers complied with demands to not share books on social media—limiting the amount of press for the company.
If they go on strike, contribute to their strike fund to help employees afford essentials.
Are you a part of a publishing or publishing-related company? Learn about unions and consider forming one with your fellow employees!
Push publishers on the core issues at hand: diversity in employee bases as well as acquired authors; AI integrations and usage; and salaries/advances for all involved.
Final Musings
The book industry, like so many other industries, is rapidly changing due to technology, capitalism’s increasing wealth gap, and more. But, without union protections or employer investment, employees are at risk of being left behind. And without passionate employees, the future of the publishing world looks vastly different.
For many readers, reading simply means picking up a book and enjoying it. And yes, that is a huge part of being a reader! But our love for books requires more from each of us, if we want to continue enjoying them. Book bans threaten who gets published and who can access stories. Capitalism suggests replacing human written stories with ones generated by artificial intelligence. Increasing monopolies on bookselling and a decline in library funding both enable gatekeeping and narrowed worldviews. As readers, we all have a role to play in combating such attacks.
Supporting publishing unions is one piece of the puzzle, and we couldn’t be more excited to see the spread of unionization. We need these unions more than ever, and anything we can do to help them become a reality is important.
We’ll be back in a few weeks with more. In the meantime, make sure to check out our reading-themed prints for a cause, free downloads (wallpapers, templates, and more), and our exclusive downloads for newsletter subscribers (with password newsletterdownloads). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch via email, the comments below, or Instagram DM.
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unsolicited book rec for folks looking to learn more about unionizing: HANDBOOK FOR THE REVOLUTION by derrick palmer, one of the co-founders of the first amazon union!