News for Authors

From acquisitions to publication (and beyond!), you’ll be working closely with your editor through the entire process. We reached out to editors across the company to come up with these five tips.

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When authors are writing outside of their experience, feedback from experts within the communities they’re writing about is crucial. Read on to learn more about this important stage of the editorial process. Read more

For fiction writers, a critical part of building the world for your main character is introducing other interesting, authentic characters. In this article, our editors provide tips to strengthen supporting characters. Read more

As we start a new year, it’s common for authors to set goals and resolutions for their writing. In this article, Penguin Random House editors chime in with New Year’s resolution ideas for writers. Read more

Some writers outline their stories heavily, while others let the words and ideas flow as they come to them. In the end, there is no one-size-fits-all way to plot a story. Read on for some tips and tricks from our editors about structuring your next book. Read more

Revisions can be a challenging part of the writing process, but also one full of opportunity. In this delicate stage, authors look at their work from a fresh perspective. But knowing which mistakes to look out for can be a challenge. We’ve asked our fiction and nonfiction editors about common pitfalls they see in early drafts and how authors can overcome them.

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To the outside world, fiction writing gives an author unlimited freedom. From fantasy to contemporary and all genres in between, an author chooses—and often invents—the story’s setting, environment, culture, dialect, and technology, among other key elements.

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Soliciting blurbs makes many authors anxious—even though gaining an endorsement from someone you greatly admire can be an ego boost and an asset to your book. But the solicitation process also requires a sense of realism and practicality. We talked to four Penguin Random House editorial team members about the process of blurbing. Read more

We recently learned about the challenges authors face in maintaining continuity while writing. Fortunately, a key stage in the editorial process helps ensure that a book is, ultimately, the best version of itself it can be. Some authors have been known to praise copy editors as publishing’s unsung heroes. We checked in with a Random House copy editor to learn about what she looks for in a manuscript and how she gets the job done. Read more