News for Authors

The Random House Foundation’s Creative Writing Competition

July, 2013

Random House’s commitment to individuality and artistic expression is at the heart of our company philosophy, and also guides many of our corporate philanthropic activities.  The Creative Writing Competition is an initiative that encourages students in New York City’s public high schools to give a voice to their creative talents. Read more

Hot Summer Travel Destinations and Inspired Reads

by Milena Schmidt and Katherine Fleming|July, 2013

Nothing says summer like a well-earned vacation to re-energize the spirit. Find inspiration from Fodor’s 2013 Go List, paired with essential reads. Even if you can’t plan your dream trip right now, you can always indulge in summer armchair travel with a terrific “on-location” book.

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Start Using Our Author Fan Page App Today

by Milena Schmidt|July, 2013

Together with the launch of the Author Portal, we introduced a Facebook Fan Page App that we built specifically for Penguin Random House authors.The app allows your followers and visitors to view your titles, read excerpts, and link directly to purchasing options. If you haven’t installed the app yet, here’s a refresher and some tips about how to make it work for you. Read more

The Art of Cover Design [Video]

June, 2013

 

One of the most exciting aspects of any book’s publication is the design of its cover.

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Trends in Consumer Book Buying [Infographic]

by By Milena Schmidt and Mina Park|June, 2013

How do people learn about new books?  What types of books are they buying? What formats are they selecting?  Consumer insights play an important role in a publisher’s strategies, from acquisitions to pricing and marketing campaigns. During a recent industry event at Random House, Carl Kulo of Bowker Market Research shared highlights from their 2013 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics & Buying Behaviors Annual Review.

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Anti-Piracy Reporting Tool Added to Author Portal

June, 2013

Penguin Random House takes the prospect of piracy of its books very seriously, and is committed to providing the most effective anti-piracy service to its authors. Every title published by Penguin Random House is covered globally under our agreement with Digimarc Guardian (formerly Attributor), a leading solution for disrupting the distribution of pirated content. Read more

Do You Have Klout?

by Milena Schmidt|June, 2013

Perhaps you’ve heard of Klout, the website that assigns you a score based on your social media influence and awards perks to high-scoring influencers. Klout frequently makes headlines for its rewards, which most recently included VIP access to American Airlines airport lounges. Now you’re wondering whether you’ve got Klout, how much of it you have, and how to get more.

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New Author Portal Features!

May, 2013

We’ve added three exciting new features to the Random House Author Portal! You can now easily download high-resolution images of your book covers, access a collection of review excerpts for your titles, and view the bestseller history for your books over the past ten years. Read on to find out how you can take advantage of these tools and tell us what you think! Read more

BISACs: Cracking the Code

by Andrea Bachofen|May, 2013

BISAC codes are assigned to every title in the marketplace, and publishing teams work hard to assign the right codes—so, what exactly are BISACs and why do they matter? We demystify the process behind BISACs and take a look at some surprising marketplace trends they reveal.

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5 Social Media Platforms You Might Not Know

by Emily Davis, Joe Muscolino, Sarah Cahill, and Milena Schmidt|May, 2013

With new social networks popping up faster than you can say Pinterest, it’s important to know which ones are worth your time and will give you maximum return on investment. By now, you’ve mastered the art of the tweet and figured out the new Facebook Timeline. However, just how much do you know about Google +, Vine, Reddit, and emerging platforms such as Medium and Whisper? Here’s the scoop on these networks, along with some pointers and things to take into consideration before joining the social media bandwagon.

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