random house publishing usa

Facts & Figures

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House's mission is to connect readers worldwide to adult and children's fiction and nonfiction authors both familiar and new. It is home to more than 50 Nobel Prize laureates, over 100 Pulitzer Prize winners, and many of the most widely read authors of our time. As the world's largest print and digital trade book publisher with 200 editorially-independent imprints, it publishes approximately 10,000 new books annually in print, digital, and audio formats, and sells more than 400 million books a year across the globe.

Divisions Penguin Random House LLC's adult publishing groups are Crown Publishing Group, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Penguin Random House Digital Media, and Penguin Random House Publishing Group. Penguin Random House Children's Books division is the world's largest publisher of books for young readers.

Executive Board

Markus Dohle Chairman & CEO, Penguin Random House Member of the Executive Board of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Núria Cabutí CEO, Penguin Random House Mondadori Gina Centrello President and Publisher, Penguin Random House Publishing Group Anthony Chirico President, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Anne Davis Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Penguin Random House Worldwide Barbara Marcus President and Publisher, Penguin Random House Children's Group Madeline McIntosh Chief Operating Officer, Penguin Random House LLC Brad Martin President & CEO, Penguin Random House of Canada Maya Mavjee President and Publisher, Crown Publishing Group Sonny Mehta Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Gail Rebuck Chairman & CEO, The Penguin Random House Group Dr. Frank Sambeth Chairman & CEO, Verlagsgruppe Penguin Random House Frank Steinert Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Penguin Random House Worldwide

Headquarters 1745 Broadway, New York, New York, 10019

Shareholders Penguin Random House is 100% owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA

Penguin Random House Worldwide

Penguin Random House North America United States Canada Verlagsgruppe Penguin Random House Germany Penguin Random House Group UK United Kingdom Australia New Zealand South Africa India Transworld Ireland Ireland Penguin Random House Mondadori Spain Argentina Chile Colombia Mexico Uruguay

Employees 5,343 (as of December 31, 2011)

Corporate Social Responsibility

• View Penguin Random House Environmental Sourcing Policy
• Penguin Random House LLC Creative Writing Competition: For 20 years, Penguin Random House has provided annual scholarships to public high school students for original poetry, memoir, fiction, drama, and graphic novel compositions
• Penguin Random House also renewed its one-million-dollar-multi-year pledge to the "First Book" program last year—over the course of ten years Penguin Random House will have given two million dollars for this important reading cause supporting underserved children
• On average each year, Penguin Random House and its global affiliates donate more than three million of our print books to needy readers all over the globe

Advertisement

Supported by

Will the Biggest Publisher in the United States Get Even Bigger?

The Biden administration is suing to block Penguin Random House from buying Simon & Schuster. A United States District Court will decide if the sale can proceed.

• Share full article

By Alexandra Alter ,  Elizabeth A. Harris and David McCabe

When the largest publisher in the country, Penguin Random House, struck a deal in the fall of 2020 to acquire its rival Simon & Schuster, publishing executives and antitrust experts predicted that the merger would draw intense scrutiny from government regulators.

The merger would dramatically alter the literary landscape, shrinking the number of major publishing houses — known in the industry as the Big Five — to four. (Or, as one industry analyst put it, it could create the Big One and the other three.)

Such a shift could ripple through the industry, potentially impacting smaller publishers, authors, and ultimately, the books that reach readers, said in an email the novelist Stephen King, who was called by the government to testify in the trial.

“The more the big publishers consolidate, the harder it is for indie publishers to survive,” King said. “And that is where the good writers are currently starting out and learning their chops.”

Last fall, the Biden administration sued to block the $2.18 billion sale as part of its new and more aggressive stance against corporate consolidation. The trial will start on Monday, with oral arguments at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judge Florence Pan will preside.

The Justice Department and Bertelsmann, Penguin Random House’s parent company, called a parade of high-profile publishing executives as witnesses. They include Markus Dohle, the chief executive of Penguin Random House, and Jonathan Karp, the chief executive of Simon & Schuster, as well as executives from other publishing houses, literary agents and a handful of authors.

Here is what we know about the case and its implications for the book business.

Why is the government trying to block this deal?

The Justice Department says this merger would make for too much consolidation in the publishing industry, creating what’s called a monopsony. A monopoly refers to a seller that has too much power over consumers; a monopsony has too much power over suppliers. In this case, the government says, those suppliers are authors of books expected to be top sellers, which publishers buy for advances of more than $250,000.

The Biden administration says that by shrinking the number of big publishers — which have the budgets to most frequently compete for the biggest books — there would be less competition for those titles. That, in turn, would lower advances paid to their authors. As a result, “fewer authors will be able to earn a living from writing,” the Justice Department argued in a pretrial brief.

What is Penguin Random House’s argument for the deal?

Bertelsmann, which owns Penguin Random House, argues that the acquisition would increase competition in the industry, and that it would benefit both authors and readers.

It says the deal will give Simon & Schuster’s authors access to Penguin Random House’s supply chain and distribution networks, which are generally considered the best in the business. Efficiencies created by combining the two companies will allow it to pay authors more, which would then encourage other publishers to increase their offers in order to compete.

It argues that the publishing industry is far more than just the Big Five; other publishers include Amazon and Disney as well as “countless” midsize and smaller publishers. It believes the government’s argument about competition and author pay overstates the role auctions play when publishers are buying manuscripts, and exaggerates how often Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster find themselves in head-to-head bidding.

Plus, Bertelsmann contends that Simon & Schuster will be able to bid against other Penguin Random House imprints for books, so authors will still have plenty of potential bidders.

What impact would the sale have on the publishing industry?

There’s no question that a merger between two of the biggest publishing companies in the United States would have a profound impact on the business and culture of publishing.

Like Hollywood, the book business has increasingly become reliant on blockbusters for profits, and companies will gamble enormous sums of money to buy books by brand-name novelists like John Grisham, EL James, Margaret Atwood and Nora Roberts, or from celebrities and public figures like Barack and Michelle Obama (all published by Penguin Random House).

By far the biggest publisher in the United States, Penguin Random House has more than 90 imprints and releases about 2,000 books a year. If the merger happens, it will gain Simon & Schuster’s 30-plus imprints and its roughly 1,000 titles a year.

The combined company would produce a disproportionate percentage of the top-selling books, industry analysts say. Last year, Penguin Random House titles accounted for 38 percent of the top 100 best-selling print books, according to NPD BookScan, while Simon & Schuster’s books made up 11 percent.

Penguin Random House, which already has the industry’s leading printing, shipping and distribution capabilities, would also gain Simon & Schuster’s warehouses and its distribution business for a network of smaller publishers.

The merger would leave three other big publishing companies remaining — Hachette, Macmillan and HarperCollins — and could drive further consolidation in the industry, as other publishers bulk up to compete with an even more massive rival.

What happens if the court blocks the deal?

For Penguin Random House, the collapse of the deal would be costly. Under the sale agreement, Penguin Random House will have to pay a fee of roughly $200 million to Paramount Global, the conglomerate that owns Simon & Schuster, if the deal doesn’t close.

For Simon & Schuster, the termination of the sale would leave the company in limbo. According to court filings, evidence presented at the trial will show that Simon & Schuster “will be divested one way or the other” from Paramount Global.

It’s unclear if another big publishing house, such as HarperCollins or Hachette, would want to risk the scrutiny from regulators by making a bid. A private equity firm could buy the company, but publishing insiders worry that could lead to huge cuts to staff and result in fewer titles at Simon & Schuster.

What are the antitrust implications?

The lawsuit will test whether the government can mount more antitrust cases targeting the effects of corporate concentration on how much workers — in this case, writers of major books — get paid.

A group of progressive academics, lawyers and economists have argued that a narrowing number of employers has limited options for workers and negatively affected their pay. The fortunes of the government’s case will show how such arguments fare in court.

They are not the only lawyers trying: For years, a group of mixed martial artists has been pursuing a class-action lawsuit against the Ultimate Fighting Championship. They have argued that the U.F.C. is so dominant in promoting the sport that it is able to keep wages down, which the U.F.C. denies. A court ruled said in 2020 that the fighters could proceed as a group with most of the case, but the merits of the case have yet to be considered.

What does this case say about the Biden administration’s approach to antitrust enforcement?

This case is another example of the administration’s aggressive approach to competition policy, which has drawn praise from the left.

President Biden signed an executive order in June 2021 that aimed to increase competition across the economy, in part by encouraging the Federal Trade Commission to focus on the way that concentration can harm workers. In the order, he pushed the agency to look at new rules limiting noncompete agreements, which activists say make it hard for workers to take better job offers, and to stop employers from sharing pay information with one another in order to bring down wages.

The F.T.C. and the Justice Department have also tried to test novel legal theories in court. The F.T.C. on Wednesday filed for an injunction to stop Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, from buying a virtual reality studio, reflecting a new focus on how the tech giants buy start-ups. The Justice Department has also challenged United Health Group’s purchase of a health tech company, arguing it would give the insurer access to sensitive data about its competitors. But it remains to be seen how the courts will receive these efforts.

Alexandra Alter writes about publishing and the literary world. Before joining The Times in 2014, she covered books and culture for The Wall Street Journal. Prior to that, she reported on religion, and the occasional hurricane, for The Miami Herald. More about Alexandra Alter

Elizabeth A. Harris writes about books and publishing for The Times.  More about Elizabeth A. Harris

David McCabe covers tech policy. He joined The Times from Axios in 2019. More about David McCabe

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

James McBride’s novel sold a million copies, and he isn’t sure how he feels about that, as he considers the critical and commercial success  of “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.”

How did gender become a scary word? Judith Butler, the theorist who got us talking about the subject , has answers.

You never know what’s going to go wrong in these graphic novels, where Circus tigers, giant spiders, shifting borders and motherhood all threaten to end life as we know it .

When the author Tommy Orange received an impassioned email from a teacher in the Bronx, he dropped everything to visit the students  who inspired it.

Do you want to be a better reader?   Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

click here to read it now

Read this week's magazine

To read the full story, subscribe or log in . Site license users can log in here

Get immediate access to publishers weekly for only $15/month ..

Instant access includes exclusive feature articles on notable figures in the publishing industry, the latest industry news, interviews of up and coming authors and bestselling authors, and access to over 200,000 book reviews.

Suzanne Herz Returns to Penguin Random House as John Grisham's Publisher

"For the past 25 years Suzanne has published my novels, with some measure of success," the author John Grisham wrote last year in tribute to Suzanne Herz, former executive v-p and publisher of Vintage/Anchor Books and executive director of publishing at Doubleday, after she took a buyout as Penguin Random House announced the incremental folding of Anchor Books . "I cannot believe she is leaving Doubleday."

Lucky for Grisham, Herz's retirement didn't last long: she will return to Penguin Random House as publisher of John Grisham on April 15, reporting to PRH chief revenue officer Jaci Updike. The move comes in advance of the publication of Grisham's 50th book, Camino Ghosts , in May, and in advance of the publication of his first nonfiction book in 18 years, Framed , in October.

In her new role, Herz will oversee the publishing strategy for the John Grisham brand, "which will now live alongside the sales and corporate marketing teams," Updike wrote in a memo—a "new alignment" that will "enable us to work even more collaboratively to expand John Grisham’s readership, and will help position the brand for future growth across both frontlist and backlist, and in all formats."

Herz had, since the buyout, been working in "an external, consulting role as John Grisham’s longtime publisher, overseeing his frontlist and backlist in concert with John’s Doubleday team," according to the letter to staff from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group president and publisher Maya Mavjee announcing Herz's retirement last year.

"Suzanne and John have worked together on close to forty of his titles, all of them #1 New York Times bestsellers," Updike wrote. "They are an unprecedented, dynamic duo in the publishing landscape."

Grisham's books "will continue to be published under the Doubleday colophon, with his central publishing support and sales teams remaining in place," Updike added. In addition to Herz, Lauren Weber—who currently oversees "the day-to-day Grisham marketing activities, brand partnerships, newsletters, and social channels," and who joined Doubleday in 2012 as Herz's assistant—has been promoted to executive director of brand development for John Grisham.

Herz began her 30-year career at PRH at Putnam as a publicist, and was named publisher of Vintage/Anchor in 2019. Over the course of her 27 years at Doubleday in particular, Herz worked with authors including Mitch Albom, Margaret Atwood, Carl Bernstein, Dan Brown, Bill Bryson, Katie Couric, Mikhail Gorbachev, David Grann, Jane Green, Anita Hill, Jon Krakauer, Kevin Kwan, Ian McEwan, Erin Morgenstern, Lauren Weisberger, Colson Whitehead, and Hanya Yanagihara.

This story has been updated with further information.

• You are a subscriber but you have not yet set up your account for premium online access. Contact customer service (see details below) to add your preferred email address and password to your account.
• You forgot your password and you need to retrieve it. Click here to retrieve reset your password.
• Your company has a site license, use our easy login. Enter your work email address in the Site License Portal.

Connect with us.

Subscribe to the Random House What's New Newsletter.

Your Email Address:

Subscribe to our RSS/XML feed with web-based news readers. Click your choice:

• African-American Interest
• Antiques & Collectibles
• Architecture
• Biography & Memoir
• Body, Mind & Spirit
• Business & Economics
• Crafts & Hobbies
• Crossword Puzzles & Word Games
• Current Affairs
• Entertainment
• Family & Relationships
• Fiction & Literature
• Foreign Language Study
• Gay & Lesbian
• Health & Wellness
• Home & Garden
• Juvenile Fiction
• Juvenile Nonfiction
• Language Arts
• Libros en Español
• Literary Criticism
• Mathematics
• Performing Arts
• Photography
• Political Science
• Psychology & Psychiatry
• Religion & Spirituality
• Science Fiction & Fantasy
• Social Science
• Transportation

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST *  NPR *  PEOPLE * TIME MAGAZINE* VANITY FAIR * GLAMOUR 

“Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s...

• About Random House
• Our Publishers
• Our Authors
• Careers@Random House
• Manuscript Submissions
• Publicity & Press
• Random House Worldwide
• Advanced Search
• Author Events
• Newsletters & RSS
• Blogs & Podcasts
• Children's Books
• Reading Groups
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Randomhouse.biz
• Publisher Services
• Author Portal
• Educator Services
• Permissions
• Vendor Services
• Insight Web Service
• Technology Services
• Affiliate Program
• Random House Speakers Bureau
• View My Account
• View My Cart
• FAQs and Help
• Shipping & Returns
• Bestsellers
• Personalized Books
• Ordering Info:
• U.S. Consumers
• International Consumers
• U.S. Booksellers
• International Booksellers
• Corporations

Authors & Events

Recommendations

• New & Noteworthy
• Bestsellers
• Popular Series
• The Must-Read Books of 2023
• Popular Books in Spanish
• Coming Soon
• Literary Fiction
• Mystery & Thriller
• Science Fiction
• Spanish Language Fiction
• Biographies & Memoirs
• Spanish Language Nonfiction
• Dark Star Trilogy
• Ramses the Damned
• Penguin Classics
• Award Winners
• The Parenting Book Guide
• Books to Read Before Bed
• Books for Middle Graders
• Trending Series
• Magic Tree House
• The Last Kids on Earth
• Planet Omar
• Beloved Characters
• The World of Eric Carle
• Llama Llama
• Junie B. Jones
• Peter Rabbit
• Board Books
• Picture Books
• Guided Reading Levels
• Middle Grade
• Activity Books
• Trending This Week
• Top Must-Read Romances
• Page-Turning Series To Start Now
• Books to Cope With Anxiety
• Short Reads
• Anti-Racist Resources
• Staff Picks
• Memoir & Fiction
• Features & Interviews
• Emma Brodie Interview
• James Ellroy Interview
• Nicola Yoon Interview
• Qian Julie Wang Interview
• Deepak Chopra Essay
• How Can I Get Published?
• For Book Clubs
• Reese's Book Club
• Oprah’s Book Club
• happy place " data-category="popular" data-location="header">Guide: Happy Place
• the last white man " data-category="popular" data-location="header">Guide: The Last White Man
• Authors & Events >
• Our Authors
• Michelle Obama
• Zadie Smith
• Emily Henry
• Amor Towles
• Colson Whitehead
• In Their Own Words
• Qian Julie Wang
• Patrick Radden Keefe
• Phoebe Robinson
• Emma Brodie
• Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Laura Hankin
• Recommendations >
• 21 Books To Help You Learn Something New
• The Books That Inspired "Saltburn"
• Insightful Therapy Books To Read This Year
• Historical Fiction With Female Protagonists
• Best Thrillers of All Time
• Manga and Graphic Novels
• happy place " data-category="recommendations" data-location="header">Start Reading Happy Place
• How to Make Reading a Habit with James Clear
• Why Reading Is Good for Your Health
• 10 Facts About Taylor Swift
• New Releases
• Memoirs Read by the Author
• Our Most Soothing Narrators
• Press Play for Inspiration
• Audiobooks You Just Can't Pause
• Listen With the Whole Family

• Social Impact

Penguin Random House is the international home to more than 300 editorially and creatively independent publishing imprints. Together, our imprints publish over 70,000 digital and 15,000 print titles annually, with more than 100,000 eBooks available worldwide. Browse our divisions and imprints below to learn more about the distinct and diverse voices that make up Penguin Random House and help bring to life our authors’ very best work.

Corporate Brands

Crown Publishing Group

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Penguin Publishing Group

Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group

Penguin Young Readers Group

Random House Children’s Books

Random House Publishing Group

Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

Raise kids who love to read

Today's Top Books

Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

An online magazine for today’s home cook

Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.