News
GRAMMY® Love: Obama’s “A Promised Land” Best Spoken Word Nominee
November 23, 2021
Can a two-term U.S. President be a three-time GRAMMY® winner?
Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land,” one of 2020 and 2021’s biggest-selling audios — and of course also last year’s biggest-selling hardcover and e-book — has been bestowed with a major new touchstone achievement: a nomination voted by members of the Recording Academy®, announced November 23, as one of the five nominees for 2021 “ Best Spoken Word Album” GRAMMY®.
There's a Book for That: Thanksgiving
November 23, 2021
Thanksgiving, 2021 is nearly here! Last Thanksgiving we quoted the social media meme, “this Thanksgiving is about next Thanksgiving.” And here we are – grateful for what we have and eager to connect with family and friends whether over a traditional or nontraditional menu. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
Presenting Our 41 NYTBR “Notable Books of 2021”
November 22, 2021
Presentations of the year’s "best books” are well underway, and the New York Times Book Review’s annual list is among the most anticipated and scrutinized.
For their" 100 Notable Books of 2021" the NYTBR editors have selected 22 Fiction and Poetry and 19 Nonfiction and Memoir titles published by Penguin Random House imprints, 41 in all.
Cree Myles to Co-Host “Passing x All Ways Black” Conversation With Netflix Tomorrow
November 22, 2021
As part of an ongoing relationship between Netflix and Penguin Random House, tomorrow, Tuesday, November 23, at 2:00 PM (ET), influencer Cree Myles will co-host Passing x All Ways Black, an Instagram Live conversation alongside Netflix’s Lakin Starling about the book-to-film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s PASSING (Penguin Books).
Remember to Help Bookstores in Need Through Binc’s Year-End Fundraising Campaign
November 22, 2021
As we shared earlier this month, Penguin Random House partnered with the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) on their year-end fundraising campaign to double the power and impact of individual donations. From November 15 – December 31, PRH will match all donations made to Binc up to $15,000, directly helping bookstores in need.
Friday Reads: Transgender Awareness
November 19, 2021
Did you know it is Transgender Awareness Week? From GLAAD: “The week before Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues members of the community face.” In support, check out the following incredible fiction and nonfiction by and about transgender people:
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE PURPLE SCHOOLS by RHCB Authors Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart Coming in June 2022
November 18, 2021
Hot on the heels of their instant #1 New York Times bestselling picture book debut, The World Needs More Purple People (June 2020; over 350,000 copies in print), actress, producer, and parent Kristen Bell (Frozen, The Good Place, Veronica Mars) and creative director and parent Benjamin Hart will publish THE WORLD NEEDS MORE PURPLE SCHOOLS in June 2022. The news was announced by Michelle Nagler, Vice President, Associate Publishing Director, Random House Books for Young Readers. Caroline Abbey, Editorial Director, acquired world English rights and audio rights and will edit the project.
Our WOW Nov. 17 Night: ‘21 NBAs For PRH Fiction, Nonfiction, YPL
November 18, 2021
Were you able to watch the National Book Awards ceremony, live-streamed in part from the 2nd floor of our 1745 Broadway headquarters, the evening of November 17? If so, you saw a WOW of an evening for us. Our authors won in each of the three categories in which we were shortlisted: Young People’s Literature: Malinda Lo for “Last Night at the Telegraph Club;” Nonfiction: Tiya Miles for “All That She Carried;” and Fiction: Jason Mott for “Hell of a Book.”
Penguin Random House’s long, wonderful history with the National Book Awards continues. In eight of the past nine years, at least one of our imprints’ books has been voted a winner by its category’s judges.
PYR’s Stacey Barney Receives Black Women in Media Award
November 17, 2021
Stacey Barney, Associate Publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, was honored last night at the 6th Black Women in Media Awards for her work, contribution, and demonstration of excellence in Literature & Publishing. The Awards ceremony was hosted by Black Women in Media in New York City.
Amazon Picks Amor Towles’ THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY #1 Book of 2021
November 17, 2021
Amor Towles’ THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY (Viking) has been selected as the Best Book of the Year by Amazon Books Editors—the eighth straight year that a Penguin Random House title has been their top pick. Seven of this year’s Top Ten are ours.
Join Tonight’s National Book Awards Virtual Ceremony and Help Celebrate Our Authors
November 17, 2021
The 72nd National Book Awards Ceremony will be airing live virtually tonight, Wednesday, November 17 at 7:00 pm (ET). Since 1950, the National Book Awards have honored the writers who have helped shape the foundation of literature in the United States. While the broadcast is free, the National Book Foundation is asking all book lovers to support the essential work building a nation of readers with a suggested donation of $50.
There's a Book for That: Fall Cooking
November 17, 2021
Are you getting ready for holiday cooking? As we organize who’s bringing what, this season of cookbooks is truly inspiring with a delectable range of recipes and cuisines. But it’s not all about a big feast! The following titles– from popular apps, chefs, shows and blogs- not only reinvigorate weekday meals or offer vegan dishes, they have much to share about family history and global culture through the lens of food:
Bringing THE 1619 PROJECT Into Classrooms: A Unique Collaboration
November 16, 2021
Today marks the publication of THE 1619 PROJECT: A New Origin Story, a dramatic expansion of the landmark “1619 Project” issue of The New York Times Magazine, and THE 1619 PROJECT: Born on the Water, a lyrical picture book in verse co-authored by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith.
Over the summer and into the fall, the Penguin Random House Education department partnered closely with One World, Kokila, and the Penguin Young Readers School & Library teams in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine and the Pulitzer Center—whose mission is to raise awareness of under-reported global issues through direct support for quality journalism—to promote the use of these books at all levels of education while equipping educators with resources they will need to help adopt and teach one or both books.
Join the National Book Awards Virtual Ceremony and Help Celebrate Our Authors
November 16, 2021
The 72nd National Book Awards Ceremony will be airing live virtually on Wednesday, November 17 at 7:00 pm (ET). Since 1950, the National Book Awards have honored the writers who have helped shape the foundation of literature in the United States. While the broadcast is free, the National Book Foundation is asking all book lovers to support the essential work building a nation of readers with a suggested donation of $50.
David Grann’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Adapted for Young Readers by RHCB
November 16, 2021
Random House Children’s Books is pleased to publish a young readers edition of David Grann's New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Finalist as KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: Adapted for Young Readers. On sale Tuesday, November 16, from Crown Books for Young Readers, the book details the Reign of Terror against the Osage people—one of history’s most ruthless and shocking crimes.
Join Literacy Partners Virtual Events: Celebrity Poetry Reading and a Tribute to Nikole Hannah-Jones
November 15, 2021
Penguin Random House sponsored Literacy Partners’ Words Shape Our World: A Literary and Social Justice Series, which was originally launched in late 2020 to bring people together around questions of story and voice as the current moment of racial reckoning gathered force and we endured the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Literacy Partners received such great feedback that they are pleased to present a virtual encore of the event this week.
Three PRH Authors Win Whiting Foundation Nonfiction Grants
November 15, 2021
The Whiting Foundation announced the nine winners of its $40,000 nonfiction grants for books-in-progress, including three Penguin Random House authors. According to the Foundation, “The Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant’s chief objective is to foster original, ambitious projects that bring writing to the highest possible standard … Intensely researched nonfiction books, written with an artful sensitivity to complexity and nuance, have always been important in shaping the way we understand the world; today they are essential.”
Our 4 Finalists for 2022 ALA Carnegie Medals
November 12, 2021
This week, the American Library Association announced the six books shortlisted for the tenth annual Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, including four books published by Penguin Random House imprints. These prestigious medals are bestowed to the titles judged to be the previous year’s best U.S.-published adult fiction and nonfiction. The winners will be announced online at the ALA RUSA (Reference and User Services Association) Book and Media Awards (BMAs) virtual event on Sunday, January 23, 2022, during the ALA’s LibLearnX conference. Each will receive $5,000.
Friday Reads: Debut Novels
November 12, 2021
November is National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that encourages writers to find their voice and channel their creativity. Writing a novel is such a brave, imaginative endeavor and National Novel Writing Month is a prime occasion to celebrate some of the debut novels published in 2021. Spanning genres, eras, and settings, these recommended books have received honors, prizes and widespread praise:
Viking to Publish Biography of George Floyd by Prize-Winning Washington Post Reporters
November 11, 2021
Viking announced HIS NAME IS GEORGE FLOYD: One Man's Life and The Struggle for Racial Justice, a biography by two prizewinning Washington Post reporters, Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, will be published on May 17, 2022. Executive Editor Ibrahim Ahmad at Viking acquired North American rights from Karen Brailsford and Todd Shuster at Aevitas Creative Management.