News for Authors

Tips to Keep Your Passwords Secure

by Phil Stamper-Halpin|August, 2024

In recent global cybersecurity news, a compilation of nearly 10 billion passwords used by individuals all over the world was leaked on a popular hacking forum. Cybersecurity experts warn that criminals will use many of the leaked passwords for credential stuffing, a type of cyberattack where stolen login credentials are used to gain access to user accounts. These leaked passwords, especially when combined with previous password leaks, could contribute to data breaches, financial fraud, and identity theft across the nation.

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A Spotlight on The StoryGraph

by Phil Stamper-Halpin & Olivia Oudinot|May, 2024

The Consumer Insights team conducts monthly surveys of avid readers to understand how their lifestyles, activities, and reading habits are impacted by current events over time. This month, we’re spotlighting The StoryGraph, a relatively new and engaging book tracking and recommendation web platform. Read more

Moments: Publishing Trends and Key Occasions for Summer 2024

by April Flores|March, 2024

This summer, consumers will be fed up and looking for ways to adapt to broken societal systems, seeking meaningful understanding of the world and themselves through antiheroes, and seeking a slowed-down season to indulge in big and little pleasures as a respite from stress, climate change, and election noise. . . . Read on to learn more about the insights informing these shifts, and how this impacts the book industry and authors.

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You’re Invited to Author University: Reaching Readers with Newsletters & Video Platforms

by Phil Stamper-Halpin|March, 2024

One registration gets you access to both sessions as well as the social hour for PRH authors!

Penguin Random House is thrilled to invite you to Author University Bonus Sessions 2024, a half-day virtual learning event featuring a selection of breakout authors and social media experts giving advice on the topics that impact authors the most.

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How Authors Can Prevent Phishing Attacks

by Phil Stamper-Halpin|January, 2024

Across emails, texts, and social media, phishing attacks have skyrocketed over the last few years. As public figures, authors might be particularly vulnerable. Read on to learn how to protect yourself from scammers.

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New Author Portal Feature: Get Your Personalized Author Playbook Today!

by The Author Development Team|May, 2023

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.

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Your Invitation to the PRH Author University Bonus Session “The Writing Life” on May 3

by The Author Newsletter Team |April, 2023

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.

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Banned Books: One Author’s Story

by Penguin Random House U. S.|April, 2023

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.

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Talking Pride, Book Banning, and Social Justice with Robert Jones, Jr.

by PRH LQBTQ+ Network|November, 2022

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 TimeEntertainment WeeklyUSA TodayThe Boston Globe, and The Washington Post, among others. His writings have been featured in The New York TimesEssence, 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.

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How to Develop Multicultural Audiences

by Carolina Meurkins|October, 2022

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.

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