Pros
Fast-paced work for someone who thrives on deadline pressure. Support of middle-management was excellent, both in terms of assistance with knotty problems and willingness to adjust work practices based on real-life experience. For someone who started as a "temp", the compensation was virtually equivalent to salaried employees, including time off, healthcare and retirement benefits. The process of becoming permanant was structured, transparent, and seemed to be based on merit.
Cons
Custom Publishing's work cycle was too intense between April-August, given that the majority of clients needed books for September classes. The sales force successfully increased sales ~30% per year for the 3 years I worked there, but the workforce to complete these projects was not similarly increased. As a Project Manager, I was expected to manage publication of upwards of 40 titles simultaneously during the busiest part of the season (June/July), which is humanly impossible. Whereas in traditional publishing you get 6 months to a year to create a book, in Custom they want it done in 8 weeks or fewer. The average slipped from 8 weeks to 3 weeks during the 3 years I worked there.