With the holiday season upon us, Penguin Random House is launching a campaign that celebrates what makes books so meaningful this time of year. Read on for a letter from our U.S. CEO, Madeline McIntosh, who shares details about the Books Give More campaign!
This holiday season, our research and insights revealed three key trends: First: This year, people are going to be searching for particularly thoughtful, meaningful, and personal gifts. Second: Above all, people will be seeking comfort. And finally: Holiday shopping is going to begin sooner than ever.
So Penguin Random House is thrilled to launch our holiday campaign, Books Give More. We want to remind everyone of all the rich, meaningful, and connective experiences that books provide. By giving a book, you’re giving an experience that can be relived again and again, one that can help you connect with your loved ones. You’re giving a bonding experience to your kids, a chance to learn and grow, and an opportunity to escape and relax. And with a personal inscription, a book is even a way to share something of yourself with your family and friends.
We launched our gift guide on October 20 with a letter from Madeline to our email subscribers:
Dear Reader,
Soon the holiday season will be upon us, and this year more than any other, I think we’re all hoping to find time and space for connection, gratitude, and comfort.
One thing we at Penguin Random House have been grateful for is our role in putting books in readers’ hands. We’ve heard from so many of you about the different ways our books have helped during this time: providing safe and accessible entertainment; promoting a deeper understanding of the issues facing our communities and our country; and showing how to do everything from meditation to pantry-based meal prep.
Now we’ve put together a guide to help with all your holiday needs. Whether you’re looking for a gift for someone else or a treat for yourself, whether you’re thinking about how to make your experience at home special or creating new ways to connect with loved ones, we think you’ll find the answers here. I love giving books and book recommendations. Some of the books that will be in my heavy rotation these next few months: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz, Wild Symphony by Dan Brown and Susan Batori, and, most especially, A Promised Land by President Barack Obama. Even if none of these strikes the right note for you, I know you will find some that do in our curated gift guide.
Also on our gratitude list this year are bookstores. They play a vital role in bringing books and authors together. Happily, most stores have been able to reopen their doors to customers, and even those that are closed for in-person business are doing a wonderful job of providing books through curbside pickup or delivery. Booksellers are wizards when it comes to making recommendations for everyone on your list, and I hope you’ll lean on them this season.
One final note: We very much appreciate our partnership with an organization called We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit whose mission is to put more literature featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children. We will be ramping up our giving this season, working with them to bring more books to more children.
Wishing you a safe and comforting holiday season filled with its own unique moments of joy.
All the best,
Madeline McIntosh
CEO
Penguin Random House U.S.
We will be supporting #BooksGiveMore across the Penguin Random House ecosystem throughout the remainder of the year, and we would love your support as well! Post with the hashtag #BooksGiveMore and tag @PenguinRandomHouse—share what books have given you this year and what books you’ll be gifting this holiday. We would love to reshare on our channels!