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Careers

Build the agency behind the story.

Harper Publishers is a small, selective team working across literary representation, screen development, and the systems that support both. Open and filled positions are listed below.

Positions last updated: September 14, 2026

Film & Television Agent

Screen Division  ·  New York, NY (Hybrid)
Position Filled — 8/26

Represents Harper's screen clients and the screen rights to Harper's literary properties, working directly with producers, studios, and streaming platforms to package, pitch, and negotiate development and production deals.

Responsibilities

  • Represent a slate of screenwriters and the film/television adaptation rights for Harper's literary clients
  • Package literary IP for screen, pairing manuscripts with writers, directors, and producers
  • Negotiate options, development deals, and production agreements with studios, networks, and streaming platforms
  • Build and maintain relationships with buyers across film and television
  • Track projects through development, packaging, and sale

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree required
  • 5+ years of experience as a literary or talent agent, or in studio/network business affairs
  • Proven track record negotiating film and/or television deals
  • Established relationships with production companies, studios, and streaming platforms
  • Professional references required
This position was filled in August 2026 and is no longer accepting applications.

Database Engineer

Technology  ·  New York, NY (Hybrid)
Hiring

Builds and maintains the systems behind Harper's private author portal and internal rights and royalty databases — the infrastructure that lets a small team manage a wide slate of authors securely and reliably.

Responsibilities

  • Design, build, and maintain relational databases supporting author records, submissions, rights, and royalty tracking
  • Develop and maintain backend services powering the private author portal
  • Implement secure authentication, credentialing, and access-control systems for author and internal accounts
  • Ensure data integrity, backups, and recovery procedures for sensitive author and financial records
  • Collaborate with the development and operations team on new internal tools

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field required
  • 3+ years of professional experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar)
  • Experience with Node.js and Express, or comparable backend frameworks
  • Demonstrated experience handling sensitive personal and financial data securely
  • Professional references required
Actively hiring — apply below. Apply Now

Literary Agent

Literary Division  ·  New York, NY
No Current Openings

Harper's literary agents represent authors across commercial and literary fiction and narrative nonfiction, guiding manuscripts from acquisition through publication and, where applicable, into screen development.

Responsibilities

  • Represent a client list of authors across assigned genres and categories
  • Acquire, evaluate, and develop manuscripts for submission to publishers
  • Negotiate book deals, advances, and contract terms on behalf of clients
  • Manage ongoing publisher, subsidiary rights, and royalty relationships for represented titles
  • Coordinate with Harper's screen team on adaptation potential for represented properties

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree required
  • 5+ years of experience as a literary agent, editor, or in publishing rights
  • Demonstrated history of selling manuscripts to traditional publishers, with proven results within the publishing sector — completed deals, advances negotiated, and an active or former client list
  • Established relationships with editors and publishing houses
  • Professional references required
There are no current openings for this position. Future opportunities will be posted here when available.

A note on how we hire. Every role at Harper Publishers — whether agent-facing or technical — is filled by experienced candidates only. We require a completed degree, a demonstrated, verifiable track record in the relevant field, and professional references for every hire, regardless of position.