Authors Launch Facebook Campaigns for Giving Tuesday
November 27, 2018
As part of the annual campaign #GivingTuesday, Penguin Random House authors are supporting chosen causes as part of a donation match drive led by Facebook and PayPal. Three authors have been highlighted by Facebook to shine a light on their efforts and maximize giving. Credit goes to their marketing representatives Elina Vaysbeyn (Dutton); Jin Yu (Berkley); and Brianne Sperber and Shauna Barry (Crown) for helping to make these connections. Since launching these donation drives, the authors have already raised tens of thousands of dollars in contributions.
- Hank Green, supporting Partners in Health
- Laurell K. Hamilton, supporting COMTREA, a not-for-profit comprehensive health center
- Shalane Flanagan, supporting New York Road Runners Team for Kids
As a reminder: all authors are encouraged to participate in #GivingTuesday and can find fundraising set up and tips here: https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers/
For any questions, please reach out to Kate Rados.
Dutton and Razorbill Announce New Book, GLIMMER OF HOPE, by March For Our Lives Founders, to be Published in October
July 24, 2018
The students from Parkland, Florida who founded The March For Our Lives after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, are now adding a book to their movement. GLIMMER OF HOPE: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement will be the official, definitive book from the founders and will document the ongoing fight for sensible gun control legislation and their journey on the road to change. In a rare move, Razorbill, a Penguin Young Readers imprint, and Dutton, an adult imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, have teamed up to sell this single title together and jointly market the book, which will go on sale on October 16.
Honoring Our 2018 Library Awards for Innovation Grant Winners
July 9, 2018
Penguin Random House continues to honor its dedication to literacy at the annual American Library Association Conference and Exhibition, where our 2018 Penguin Random House Library Awards for Innovation grant winners were announced. Skip Dye, Vice President & Director of Operations and Library Sales, Penguin Random House, presented the awards at the Penguin Random House Librarian Reception, held on the opening day of last month’s ALA conference at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
Lisa Goldstein – $1,000 Grant Recipient, Youth Wing Division Manager – For “Book Match Teen” – Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn, New York
Jennifer McCormack – $1,000 Grant Recipient, Director – For “ELL Summer Reading Program” – Nashua Public Library – Nashua, New Hampshire
Meghan Petersen – $1,000 Grant Recipient, Archivist – For “Amesbury Eats Equality Now” – Amesbury Public Library – Amesbury, Massachusetts
Heather Weleski – $1,000 Grant Recipient, Children and Youth – For “Feed Your Minds” – Community Library of Castle Shannon – Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania
- Christine Gramm – $500 Book Grant Award Recipient, Library Manager – For “Ged Testing Center” – Medina County District Library – Medina, Ohio
- Elizabeth LaRosee – $500 Book Grant Award Recipient, Assistant Director/Emerging Tech – For “Community Digital Media and Learning Lab” – Turner Free Library – Randolph, Massachusetts
- Elizabeth McIntyre – $500 Book Grant Award Recipient, Director – For “Barrow Book Partnership” – Piedmont Regional Libraries – Jefferson, Georgia
- Maria Sewall – $500 Book Grant Award Recipient, Children’s Librarian – For “Bus Book Program” – Topsham Public Library – Topsham, Missouri
- Myra Shindler – $500 Book Grant Award Recipient, BJE Director – For “The Veteran’s Day Teen Holocaust Forum” – Jewish Community Library and Resource Center – Scottsdale, Arizona
Penguin Random House Ireland Partners with Fighting Words Charity to Release Student Anthology
July 6, 2018
Penguin Random House Ireland partnered with the Fighting Words charity, an organization in Dublin dedicated to helping youth and young adults discover and cultivate their passions for creative writing. The charity recently launched its latest anthology, BEYOND BOUNDARIES, an inspired collection of short stories written by fourth year students at the Manor House School and edited by the PRH Ireland editorial team. 
The anthology features a written introduction by Penguin Ireland author, Sinéad Moriarty, in which she writes: In a year where women have stood up, spoken out and no longer been afraid to call out bad behaviour, it’s lovely to see a short story compilation from a group of young, fresh-faced and talented girls. The stories cover a wide range of subject matters and plots that will make you sit up and pay attention. Some will move you to tears, others will make you laugh and some will make you gasp out loud.
Each year, an anthology of students’ work is published, with the students at the center of the project drafting and editing the stories, choosing the title of the book and working with a designer on the cover. PRH Ireland editors devote their time to editing the stories in the anthology and support the efforts by talking to the students about the process of publishing a book. Penguin Ireland author, Sinéad Moriarty wrote the introduction for this year’s anthology and also helped launch the book with the students. Vintage author, Roddy Doyle, is a member of the board and actively supports and promotes the work of Fighting Words.
Penguin Random House Donates Books to Save the Children as Part of “Grand Central Reads”
July 5, 2018
Penguin Random House has launched a limited-time charitable-giving opportunity as part of our Grand Central Reads partnership with MTA Metro-North Railroad and Grand Central Terminal, a brand new program that allows commuters and visitors to use their mobile devices to download free Penguin Random House book excerpts.
In celebration of Penguin Random House’s five-year anniversary, the company is offering Grand Central Reads users a special 5-minute Reads section on the mobile platform, which will trigger book donations from Penguin Random House to its charitable partner, Save the Children, empowering New Yorkers to give back to those in need. For every five minutes read in this section, Penguin Random House will donate one of its book to global humanitarian organization Save the Children, up to 25,000 books, which will be distributed during community events, family activities and holiday celebrations at parks, schools, and libraries in the areas the organization serves.
Our Colleagues Make Care-Cards on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Host #WearOrange Post-It Note Walls at BookCon
June 7, 2018
Last Friday, June 1, Penguin Publishing Group recognized National Gun Violence Awareness Day by organizing an event at our 375 Hudson Street offices for Penguin Random House employees to make and write care-cards for families of victims of gun violence. Over the course of two hours, dozens of our colleagues created more than 130 hand-designed and thoughtfully written cards. They’ll be distributed to members of the Everytown Survivor Network, which brings together survivors, victims, and loved ones of those affected by gun violence.
Penguin Publishing Group’s partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety continued the next day at BookCon, where PPG and Everytown invited book lovers passing through the Penguin Random House booth to show their support for #WearOrange by writing and posting orange Post-It notes to several dedication walls labeled “I #WearOrange because…”. For every Post-It note shared, Penguin Random House donated $5.00 to Everytown for Gun Safety. Representatives from the Everytown Authors Council, including Penguin author Chris Healy, joined Penguin Random House staff in greeting and talking to visitors, many of whom wanted to share their own stories.
The #WearOrange movement originated on June 2, 2015 in honor of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed in Chicago one week after marching in President Obama’s 2nd D.C. inaugural parade in January 2013. In the days and weeks following, Hadija’s friends commemorated her by wearing orange – the color many hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others from harm.
There are several ways to donate to #WearOrange and its partner organizations, who are working hard every day to build a future where every American can live free from gun violence. For a full list, click here. How “Rev Up for Reading” Inspires Crawfordsville Students to Read
June 6, 2018
The chance to engage with a real-life Monster Truck has sparked many students’ interest in reading books at a number of elementary schools in Crawfordsville, Indiana, thanks to Rev Up for Reading, a wonderful program created by Beth Hiatt, Manager, Receiving, at our Crawfordsville distribution center, and her husband. Beth explains, “With our program, teachers challenge their students to read. They set a ‘minutes goal’ and track their progress throughout the school year. As a reward, we bring our Monster Truck to their school towards the end of the academic year.
Author Jojo Moyes Rescues UK Literacy Program "Quick Reads"
May 22, 2018
Jojo Moyes, author of #1 bestselling Pamela Dorman / Viking / Penguin books such as ME BEFORE YOU, AFTER YOU and STILL ME, learned that Quick Reads, a UK-based literacy program for adults with reading challenges, was in dire financial straits and on the verge of closing. So she personally donated £360,000 in order to ensure that Quick Reads, which has distributed 4.8 million copies of short novels by big-name author since the program began in 2006, will be able to operate for at least three more years.
Support the #WearOrange Movement and National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday, 6/1
May 21, 2018
National Gun Violence Awareness Day is on June 1. This year, Penguin Publishing Group has partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety and the #WearOrange movement to recognize the date and to help send a powerful message to end gun violence.
There are several ways to donate to #WearOrange and its partner organizations, who are working hard every day to build a future where every American can live free from gun violence. For a full list, click here.
DK Supports STAR WARS’ ‘ROAR FOR CHANGE’ Challenge
May 17, 2018
DK recently participated in Roar For Change, a global challenge organized by Lucasfilm and Star Wars: Force for Change in support of UNICEF. The initiative invites fans and families to share their own version of Chewbacca’s iconic roar. For each public post, like, or share on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter that includes #RoarForChange through May 25, Star Wars: Force for Change U.S. will donate $1 to UNICEF USA, up to $1 million. Funds will be used to support UNICEF’s lifesaving work for children around the world.
Fans can share their best Chewbacca impersonation, don Hasbro’s Electronic Chewbacca mask, or create a Dubsmash using one of Chewbacca’s best-known roars from the Star Wars saga, which will be hosted on the app’s homepage for the duration of the campaign.
The initiative kicked off with a video featuring the cast of Solo: A Star Wars Story, revealing Chewbacca’s diva behavior on the set of the new movie, which hits theaters on May 25.
Check out DK’s video here.
DK invites PRH Star Wars enthusiasts to join the #RoarForChange challenge and support this worthy cause. Learn more about the campaign at ForceForChange.com.
*Campaign hashtag: #RoarForChange
Star Wars: Force for Change, a charitable initiative from Lucasfilm and Disney, harnesses the strength of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world. Since 2014 when it was inspired by Star Wars fans, Star Wars: Force for Change has raised over $16 million to date for charitable causes around the world.