After our Inaugural Author University event in May, we heard your requests for more social media tips and more content for writers of YA and adult fiction. In November, the Author Portal team brought you Author University: The Bonus Sessions, a set of three live virtual masterclasses for authors by authors. We’re thrilled to announce that recordings of all the Bonus Sessions are now available on demand for your viewing pleasure.
Happy New Year! I’m Alyssa Castaneda, Associate Director of Social Media for Penguin Random House. I joined PRH in April 2021 after five years at adidas, where I helped lead their global social media strategy as well as manage @adidas and @adidasWomen across all platforms. At adidas, I learned to love culture, the people and stories that shape culture, and social media’s role within all of it. I’m so excited to bring my skills and knowledge to Penguin Random House, where we get to work on incredible books and with authors like you.
It is an honor to bring stories and ideas into the world. Penguin Random House is committed to serving our Contributors (i.e., authors, illustrators, and other creators) and to bringing their culture-shaping perspectives and stories to readers. We have a responsibility to achieve greater inclusion not only within our workforce population but also throughout the community of creative and original voices we publish. And we know that our mission to publish books for everyone can be accomplished only if our Contributors’ demographics better represent the society we live in.
The Penguin Hotline, Penguin Random House’s holiday gift-giving book recommendation service, is back for its eighth season, going live on Wednesday, December 1st, 2021. This year’s theme is “Better with Books,” promoting the idea that the gift of a book makes every moment better.
In May, Kimberly Ayers Shariff joined PRH as EVP, Director of Strategy for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. In this newly created role, which reports directly to Madeline McIntosh, CEO of PRH US, with a seat on the U.S. board, Kimberly will lead PRH’s implementation of its company-wide DE&I Strategic Plan and help develop a broad-based vision for the company’s future, ensuring the creation of books for everyone, by everyone, out of a culture where all feel welcome and empowered to fully participate in the process. We sat down with Kimberly to ask about her vision for the company’s DE&I work, her goals for our collective journey, and what she sees as the biggest opportunities and challenges ahead.
In January 2019, our Consumer Marketing and Corporate Communications teams partnered to launch the Penguin Random House Employee Ambassador Program, with the goals of highlighting the voices and creativity of our talented employees, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work in publishing, and creating authentic content that promotes our wonderful books. Read more
In celebration of Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month, Penguin Random House has launched #IAmLaCultura! This campaign celebrates Latinx and Hispanic authors whose stories are redefining identity and shaping culture. As we continue our mission of bringing new and diverse audiences into the Penguin Random House universe, we want to showcase a range of stories across the Latinx and Hispanic diaspora. Read more
There are infinite ways to be Black. This summer, Penguin Random House launched All Ways Black, a new initiative that showcases and celebrates the many facets of the Black experience. Read more
Calling all authors! We would love you to complete our quick survey. Your feedback helps inform our future content and enhancements, from monthly News for Authors mailings to the variety of resources on the Author Portal to our new Author University program. Read more