Are you looking to expand your online presence, but don’t know where to start? The Author Development team is pleased to announce a new resource on the Author Portal, the Author Playbook. This short interactive experience features a six-question quiz designed to assess your goals for and comfort level with community-building online. It then recommends three platforms to consider leaning into and offers a playbook with best practices for each.
Penguin Random House is thrilled to invite you to the Author University 2023 Bonus Session, “The Writing Life.” This virtual learning event features three talented PRH authors discussing the ins and outs of the writing life and how to build community, find balance, and stay inspired.
In early March, Laurie Halse Anderson, acclaimed Penguin Random House author of Shout, Chains, and Speak, attended a school board meeting in Pennsylvania’s Central Bucks School District to challenge the district’s ban on “sexualized content” in school libraries. Her own books have long been a target of numerous book-banning efforts across the country, including close to her own Pennsylvania home.
Robert Jones, Jr., is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Prophets, which won the 2022 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction, and was named one of the best books of 2021 by Time, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post, among others. His writings have been featured in The New York Times, Essence, and The Paris Review, as well as in the critically acclaimed anthologies Four Hundred Souls and The 1619 Project. He has also been a guest panelist for PRH’s online seminar for authors, Author University. This interview was originally conducted in June 2022 for Igloo, Penguin Random House’s internal news hub.
There are many reasons someone might gravitate towards a book. Take a debut mystery, for example. A reader might pick it up because they are a die-hard fan of the genre. They check out any new mystery title recommended by their favorite BookTokkers. There are readers who gravitate towards a book because of its themes, or because the characters look, speak, or behave like they do. Then there are the readers we have yet to discover, who didn’t expect to fall in love with a title and can become the book’s greatest evangelists.
According to Eboni Rafus-Brenning, Manager for Diversity Recruitment at PRH, a diverse, equitable and inclusive publishing company is a major keystone for creating a receptive and productive environment for authors and their readers alike. New hires recruited from outside of publishing, like VP of Growth Marketing Anne Bono, can offer insights from other industries to help propel authors forward. Read on to learn more about why diversity matters at your publishing house—Eboni will take it from here!
After the initial buzz of a book’s launch fades and the book is out in the world, many authors wonder how to keep that momentum going. Read on for a few tips on keeping momentum up months (and years!) after your launch.
LinkedIn is an underrated method of meeting other authors. It’s a great space for keeping up with author events and upcoming book releases. It comes highly recommended by business authors. Not to mention, LinkedIn makes adding someone to your network as simple as the click of a button. But truly making and maintaining a connection can be a bit trickier. Here are some tips to help you make LinkedIn connections that last. Read more
Ten years ago this month, Random House launched the Author Newsletter, a monthly mailing to our authors to better prepare them for the wild world of publishing. Here are some of the most popular articles over the years.
Building a community of other writers, supporters, and readers is an important way for authors to spread the word about their work. In this article, we’ll provide tips on how to engage with authors and readers using social media, online events, and email. Read more