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Justin Cronin
Justin Cronin constructed an unforgettable world transformed by a government experiment gone horribly wrong in The Passage. In his highly anticipated follow-up, The Twelve, the scope widens and the intensity deepens as the epic story surges forward.
Photo © Gasper Tringale

	Gregory D. Kincaid
	Gregory D. Kincaid's A Dog Named Christmas touched millions with its inspiring story about a very special dog who changes the lives of his adoptive family. Just in time for the holidays, Christmas and his family return in A Christmas Home, an uplifting tale of friendship, love, and perseverance.
Photo © Brooke Letourneau

Paula McClain
In her international bestseller, The Paris Wife, Paula McClain captures the love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley, captivating readers with her deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal set in Jazz Age Paris.
Photo © Stephen Cutri

	Oliver Sacks
	With signature clarity and elegance, Oliver Sacks weaves together stories of his patients and of his own mind-altering experiences in Hallucinations.
Photo © Elena Seibert

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SHIPPING ALERT FOR CUSTOMERS OF RANDOMHOUSE.COM
We have currently suspended shipments into specific areas in the NY, NJ, CT areas severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy. We have identified these areas using USPS information. Once we are advised by USPS that delivery has been resumed, we will resume shipping. We appreciate your patience and hope that everyone is safe.

Bertelsmann and Pearson to Combine Book Businesses

• Thomas Rabe implements new Bertelsmann strategy in the book publishing business
• Bertelsmann to hold 53 percent of new publishing group, Pearson 47 percent
• Markus Dohle (Random House) appointed as CEO, John Makinson (Penguin)
  as Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Bertelsmann to appoint five representatives to the Board of Directors, Pearson four

Gütersloh / New York / London, October 29, 2012 – The international media groups Bertelsmann and Pearson announced today that they will combine the activities of their respective trade-book publishing companies, Random House and Penguin Group. Bertelsmann will own 53 percent, Pearson 47 percent. The closing of the transaction is scheduled to take place in the second half of 2013, following regulatory approval.

The announcement of the combination was made today in Gütersloh, Germany by Thomas Rabe, Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, and in London by Marjorie Scardino, Chief Executive of Pearson.

Upon closing, Markus Dohle, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Random House worldwide, will be CEO of the new group. John Makinson, Chairman and CEO of Penguin, will become Chairman of the Board of Directors. Additional senior executive appointments will be announced in due course. Bertelsmann will appoint five representatives to the group’s Board of Directors, Pearson four. The new name will be Penguin Random House. Until the closing, the companies will maintain their current separate operations and continue conducting business independently.

The new publishing group will include all the publishing divisions and imprints of Random House and Penguin in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, as well as Penguin’s publishing company in China, and Random House’s Spanish-language publishing operations in Spain and Latin America. Random House’s Munich-based German-language publishing company, Verlagsgruppe Random House, will not be part of the Group and will remain at Bertelsmann. In the new company, the publishing imprints of Random House and Penguin will continue to publish their books with the autonomy they presently enjoy, and retain their distinct editorial identities.

Bertelsmann Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe says: “With this planned combination, Bertelsmann and Pearson create the best course for the future of our world-renowned trade-book publishers, Random House and Penguin, by enabling them to publish even more effectively across traditional and emerging formats and distribution channels. It will build on our publishing tradition, offering an extraordinary diversity of publishing opportunities for authors, agents, booksellers, and readers, together with unequalled support and resources.”

Mr. Rabe also observed, “Today’s announcement is a milestone not only for Random House, but also for the entire Bertelsmann group, with its 177-year publishing history. Its significance for our business and for the cultural resonance of our book publishing operations worldwide is on a par with such momentous agreements as the takeover of Goldmann Verlag in 1977; the acquisition of a stake in Bantam Books, our first-ever U.S. investment, that same year; the purchase of Doubleday in 1986; and especially that of Random House in 1998. Each of these steps was aimed at increasing the breadth and quality of Bertelsmann’s publishing operations, as our new company will.”

For Bertelsmann, the planned combination also marks a significant step in the implementation of its four new strategic priorities under Thomas Rabe, which it recently adopted and announced: strengthening the core, digital transformation, the establishment of growth platforms, and the development of growth regions. The Chairman & CEO comments: “The combination of Random House and Penguin, first of all, significantly strengthens book publishing, one of our core businesses. Second, it advances the digital transformation on an even greater scale, and third, it increases our presence in the target growth markets Brazil, India and China.”

Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson, said: “Penguin is a successful, highly-respected and much-loved part of Pearson. This combination with Random House – a company with an almost perfect match of Penguin’s culture, standards and commitment to publishing excellence – will greatly enhance its fortunes and its opportunities. Together, the two publishers will be able to share a large part of their costs, to invest more for their author and reader constituencies and to be more adventurous in trying new models in this exciting, fast-moving world of digital books and digital readers.”

Markus Dohle, Chairman & CEO of Random House, adds: “Our new company will bring together the publishing expertise, experience, and skill sets of two of the world’s most successful, enduring trade book publishers. In doing so, we will create a publishing home that gives employees, authors, agents, and booksellers access to unprecedented resources. I deeply believe that the support and services that we will be able to offer, coupled with the creative and editorial independence that we will continue to maintain, will benefit everyone in the book publishing environment, especially our passionate readers from today’s generation to the next.”

About Bertelsmann

Bertelsmann is an international media company whose core divisions encompass television (RTL Group), book publishing (Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), and outsourcing services (Arvato) in 50 countries. In 2011, the company’s businesses, with their
100,000 employees, generated revenues of €15.3 billion. Bertelsmann stands for a distinctive combination of creativity and entrepreneurship that empowers the creation of first-rate media, communications, and service offerings to inspire people around the world and to provide
innovative solutions for customers.

In case of further questions, please contact:

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA

Markus Harbaum

Phone: +49 – 52 41 – 80 888 55

markus.harbaum@bertelsmann.de

In the U.S.

Random House Inc.

Stuart Applebaum

Phone: +1 – 212 – 782 – 9623

SApplebaum@randomhouse.com

Abernathy MacGregor

Lex Suvanto

Phone: +1 – 917 – 496 – 72 87

Lex@abmac.com

In the U.K.

Maitland

Neil Bennett
Phone: +44 – 20 – 7379 5151
nbennett@maitland.co.uk

Read the pdf version here.

Random House Inc. Honored by Readerlink
Random House Inc. was honored with three of Readerlink’s seven major prizes for achievements with them during the past year:

• Outstanding Hardcover/Trade Publisher of the Year
• Sales Rep of the Year – Katie Lenox
• Premier Partnership of the Year

Known as Levy Home Entertainment under their previous ownership, Readerlink is the nation’s largest full-service book distributor, among whose diverse large and smaller accounts selling our books are Walmart, Target, and Toys R Us. These tributes affirm both our great publishing programs and a job well done with an outstanding bookseller partner.  Congratulations to Katie and to our entire Readerlink team for driving the sales and providing the services that earned these awards. Our quest for repeat recognitions at Readerlink’s 2013 ceremony is already underway.

The Random House, Inc. Foundation, announces the Random House Teachers Awards

The Random House,  Inc. Foundation,  announces the Random House Teachers Awards,  which will recognize our nation’s teachers who develop innovative projects in support of cultivating  literacy and lifelong reading. Read more here.

In Memoriam: Maeve Binchy, 1940-2012

We are sad to share the news that Maeve Binchy has died at the age of 72, following a brief illness. The author of numerous best-selling books, Maeve was considered a national treasure in her native country of Ireland. She died in Dublin near her childhood home, where she lived with her beloved husband, Gordon. Read more here.

Fremantlemedia and Random House form exclusive television partnership. FremantleMedia, the producer and distributor of several of the world’s most widely-watched television series, and Random House, Inc., the U.S. division of Random House, the world’s largest trade-book publisher, both companies of Bertelsmann AG, announced today a major new creative and strategic partnership to develop scripted television programming for the U.S. and international markets based on the fiction and nonfiction books published by Random House’s imprints in North America and internationally. Read more here.

Nora Ephron: May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012

It is with great sadness that Random House, Inc., recognizes the passing of essayist, novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and director Nora Ephron, a brilliant woman who, over the course of her career, kept us laughing both in her movies and in her books. Read more here.

Congratulations to Our 4 Random House 2012 James Beard Foundation Winners!

The internationally renowned James Beard Foundation bestowed its coveted James Beard Book Awards upon four Random House, Inc. titles: A New Turn in the South by Hugh Acheson in the category American Cooking; Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons in the category Beverages; Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson in the category Focus on Health; and Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton in the category Writing and Literature.

Also, Ted Allen, author of In My Kitchen, was recognized with two James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards: Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location and Media Personality/Host. Laurie Colwin was inducted posthumously into their Cookbook Hall of Fame for her books Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. Learn more here.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Random House Children’s Books, and Chase Art Companies Announce the Winner of the Third Annual Oh, The Places You’ll Go! College Scholarship
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P., Random House Children’s Books, and Chase Art Companies announce the winner of the third-annual Oh, the Places You’ll Go! College Scholarship. Allison Conway of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was selected, from among 140 finalists, to receive a $10,000 contribution toward her post-secondary education, which she will pursue at Savannah College of Art and Design. Learn more here.

Two 2011 Random House Inc. titles have won this year’s just-announced Indies Choice Book Awards: Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton has won Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year; and The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht has won Adult Debut Book of the Year. Congratulations to our winners! Learn more here.

Check new titles that are available this week!

See more Random House News

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