In last hurrah, Random House books record profits

Thanks to bestsellers like Dan Brown's Inferno and Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In, Random House Inc. boasted record profits for the first half of 2013, parent company Bertelsmann reported Friday in what will be the last earnings announcement for the publisher as a stand-alone unit. Sales, however, dipped slightly.Random House merged with Penguin on July 1 to become the Manhattan-based global publishing giant Penguin Random House.Compared to the same period a year ago, Random House revenue fell 3% to 915 million euros or $1.2 billion. Operating income rose 4% to 117 million euros or $155 million. A Penguin Random spokesman credited the increase in profits to "cost discipline" and strong sales growth overseas in ebooks, which have higher margins than print editions.The dip in sales revenue reflected the comparison with the unusually strong first half of 2012, when the Fifty Shades trilogy was topping bestseller lists. The "mommy porn" novels padded this year's sales as well, however, selling an additional 5 million copies in both print and digital editions.As a portion of worldwide sales, ebooks fell to 20% of the total from 22% a year ago, largely due to the drop-off from Fifty Shades, according to the spokesman.Penguin also recently reported solid results, with a 6% jump in sales and a 14% spike in profits for the first half. Penguin's parent company Pearson owns 47% of the merged company, with Bertelsmann owning the rest."We can all take pride in what we have... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Trump's White House reels after blows from Woodward book, NYT op-ed

Donald Trump's White House is reeling following a one-two punch of revelations that cast doubt on the fealty of the president's closest advisers and risked further dividing his fractious staff.The first shot came in excerpts from an upcoming book by journalist Bob Woodward, "Fear: Trump in the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weekly E-Book Ranking: Honeyman nears Hawkins' record

For a 16th week, Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is the Weekly E-Book Ranking number one. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA 2018: Penguin Random House Honors 'Library Awards for Innovation' Grant Recipients

The awards recognize the nation’s “most innovative public libraries and librarians for community-based library programs that engage citizens in reading and strengthen the social and cultural fabric of their community.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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George Saunders’ ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ Tops 2018 Audie Awards for Random House

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders was named Audiobook of the year at the annual Audie Awards, presented by the Audio Publishers Association in the US. The post George Saunders’ ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ Tops 2018 Audie Awards for Random House appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book trade's runners complete hottest London Marathon on record

Members of the book trade braved the hottest London Marathon in history yesterday in the name of charity. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin claims two spots on Pushkin House Russian Book Prize shortlist

Penguin has scored two books on the Pushkin House Russian Book Prize shortlist, one about Stalin’s metereologist and another about an eight-year journey across “forgotten Russia”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s surprisingly easy to make government records public on Google Books

While working on a recent story about hate speech spread by telephone in the ’60s and ’70s, I came across an interesting book that had been digitized by Google Books. Unfortunately, while it was a transcript of a Congressional hearing, and therefore should be in the public domain and not subject... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shandong Fine Arts Publishing House Sells Nepalese Rights to Art Book Series

A new rights deal between Shandong Fine Arts Publishing House and Nepal Modern Publishing House was celebrated with a special signing ceremony at the 2018 Bologna Book Fair. The post Shandong Fine Arts Publishing House Sells Nepalese Rights to Art Book Series appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foyles to donate profits from far-right book sales to charity

Foyles is to donate the profits of its sales from far-right books to charity after it was targeted by an anti-fascist campaign. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Sono Rosenberg, Longtime Random House Copy Editor

Sono Rosenberg, a longtime copy editor for Random House who worked with authors including Maya Angelou and James Michener, died at her home in New York on March 12. She was 98. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Books in China 2018: Tomorrow Publishing House

Most overseas publishers are familiar with the reputation of Tomorrow Publishing House, which was founded 35 years ago and has translated more than 1,000 titles. Credited for putting several local authors—Yang Hongying, Cao Wenxuan, Wu Meizhen, and Yu Yujun, for instance—on the international... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Books in China 2018: New Buds Publishing House

Small but beautiful” is our publishing motto, says editor-in-chief Ma Yuxiu of New Buds. “We have scaled down our annual output in recent years, opting instead to focus our resources on creating unique content.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Books in China 2018: Xinjiang Juvenile Publishing House

XJPH’s books featuring Afanti (a Uighur protagonist) and the Mongolian epic Jangar are vivid reminders of what is possible from a publisher located in the vast Chinese interior, which borders eight countries and harbors 47 ethnic groups. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2018: Guangdong New Century Publishing House

This is the Chinese home of the Wimpy Kid series, which made its first appearance in China in 2009 and has since sold more than 9.2 million copies. The decision to ignore market skepticism (this comics-style series with American humor and school culture was initially deemed unworkable in China)... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2018: Hunan Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House

Hunan Juvenile steadfastly pursues its goal to be “a kid’s best friend” by introducing quality content from far and near. Last year, the 36-year-old publisher released more than 600 new titles, including originals such as China’s Silk Road picture books, literature titles such as Tang Sulan’s... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2018: Jieli Publishing House

The phrase “in the right place at the right time” seems tailor-made for Jieli. Its Usborne China imprint, launched in January 2017, came at an opportune moment when the Chinese market was ready for higher-priced toy- and game-based board books and novelty titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Merger Notes: Two PEN Chapters, and Penguin Random House’s Buy of Rodale

'Never have the voices of writers and their allies been so essential,' says the leadership of the merging Los Angeles and New York City chapters of PEN. And one of the most robust lifestyle-and-wellness publishers in the States is now part of PRH. The post Merger Notes: Two PEN Chapters, and... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Trade Charity offers subsidised housing to industry newcomers

The Book Trade Charity has unveiled a progressive plan to help new joiners to the industry find accommodation in the capital amid soaring rental costs. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Templar children's book profits to be donated to food banks

Bonnier Publishing imprint Templar Books and author Duncan Beedie have entered into a partnership with food bank organisation The Trussell Trust to publish Beedie’s third picture book. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Look at Random House's Newhouse Years

Nicholas Latimer, who joined Random House in 1983 and is now v-p and director of publicity at Knopf, recalsl what working for the publisher was like when it was owned by the late media and publishing magnate Si Newhouse. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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