Department Guide

Here is a brief description of the departments within Penguin Random House.

Art & Design

Designing books is a collaborative effort. The Design staff reviews the book and meets with the Editor and Marketing department to create a visual package that will both represent the book's essence and attract the target audience.

Audio

Penguin Random House Audio works alongside dedicated Editorial, Operations, Marketing and Publicity teams to produce audiobooks across the company and beyond. Our GRAMMY® Award-winning production team works with authors to cast narrators and record 2,000 projects annually.

Contracts

The Contracts department manages the process of drafting author and illustrator contracts, which covers all products for which the company acquires rights. They negotiate the fine points with the author and/or agent, and communicate with various internal departments about the details of the contract that may affect their business or authors.

Digital Production

Our Digital Production team develops all eBook formats, including those with fixed layouts and those with multimedia enhancements. They collaborate with vendors, convert titles into different formats, and make corrections to existing eBook files.

Editorial

Once a book is acquired, an Editor works with the author to turn the manuscript into a finished book. They negotiate contracts, edit the books for content and structure, and collaborate with internal departments on how to package, market, and publicize the book.

Finance

Finance is involved with everything that has a financial impact on the company, including sales forecasting, cost of goods, production, inventory, and the balance sheet for a book, imprint, or division. Finance liaises with every other department regarding corporate perspective, policies, and systems.

Human Resources

Human Resources partners with all divisions and departments to ensure the health and well-being of their employees through benefits administration, rewards and recognition, the facilitation of company-wide events, the recruitment of new hires, and the career development of current employees. They also act as a liaison between the employee and the employer.

Information Technology (IT)

Penguin Random House depends on technology for virtually every aspect of the company. Our IT professionals build and support the applications, infrastructure, and networks that empower the business. We value talent who work in an agile environment and are invested in supporting a culture of entrepreneurship.

Managing Editorial & Production Editorial

These departments are responsible for the in-house editorial process of turning manuscripts into bound books after acquisition. This process includes maintaining and modifying the production schedules, hiring and overseeing the work of freelancers (typesetters, copy editors, proofreaders), and proofreading and routing jackets and manuscripts.

Marketing

Marketing touches all aspects of publishing and bookselling. The Marketing department develops and implements creative marketing campaigns, including advertising, social media, and bookstore displays. Marketers work closely with their Sales colleagues to learn what’s happening in the market and to help them promote and share their enthusiasm about books and writers.

Production

The Production department oversees the pre-press and manufacturing process from manuscript to bound book. The team works with outside printers, book manufacturers, and other vendors to produce our books within the desired timeframe and budget.

Publicity

Publicity professionals generate exposure and “buzz” for new books. Publicists pitch to newspapers, television, radio stations, websites, and bloggers to review our titles and feature stories about forthcoming books and authors. Publicists also help create social media outreach, author tours, author signings, readings, and other events.

Publishing Operations

The groups within Publishing Operations secure raw materials for printing traditional books, manage relationships with key vendors to ensure that our books are high quality and produced on schedule, and forecast inventory levels to determine when books need reprinting.

Sales

The Sales team works with booksellers, teachers, and librarians so that our books are available to readers in brick and mortar shops, online retailers, schools, and libraries. Sales teams also ensure that our books are well displayed, merchandised, and promoted.

Subsidiary Rights

The Subsidiary Rights departments for each of our publishing divisions handle the licensing of any rights of the original book in both domestic and foreign markets. Translations, magazine excerpts, audio editions, and book club inclusions are some examples of subrights. Their primary responsibility is to negotiate contracts with licensees to maximize revenue and publishing opportunities for the author and the company.

Warehouse

Penguin Random House is the premier provider of distribution services in the publishing industry. Our state-of-the-art national fulfillment centers are located in Crawfordsville (Indiana), Reno (Nevada), and Hampstead, Eldersburg, and Westminster (Maryland). These fulfillment centers receive, store, pick, pack, and ship out on average more than 1.8 million books daily to customers worldwide.

Art & Design

Designing books is a collaborative effort. The Design staff reviews the book and meets with the Editor and Marketing department to create a visual package that will both represent the book's essence and attract the target audience.

Audio

Penguin Random House Audio works alongside dedicated Editorial, Operations, Marketing and Publicity teams to produce audiobooks across the company and beyond. Our GRAMMY® Award-winning production team works with authors to cast narrators and record 2,000 projects annually.

Contracts

The Contracts department manages the process of drafting author and illustrator contracts, which covers all products for which the company acquires rights. They negotiate the fine points with the author and/or agent, and communicate with various internal departments about the details of the contract that may affect their business or authors.

Digital Production

Our Digital Production team develops all eBook formats, including those with fixed layouts and those with multimedia enhancements. They collaborate with vendors, convert titles into different formats, and make corrections to existing eBook files.

Editorial

Once a book is acquired, an Editor works with the author to turn the manuscript into a finished book. They negotiate contracts, edit the books for content and structure, and collaborate with internal departments on how to package, market, and publicize the book.

Finance

Finance is involved with everything that has a financial impact on the company, including sales forecasting, cost of goods, production, inventory, and the balance sheet for a book, imprint, or division. Finance liaises with every other department regarding corporate perspective, policies, and systems.

Human Resources

Human Resources partners with all divisions and departments to ensure the health and well-being of their employees through benefits administration, rewards and recognition, the facilitation of company-wide events, the recruitment of new hires, and the career development of current employees. They also act as a liaison between the employee and the employer.

Information Technology (IT)

Penguin Random House depends on technology for virtually every aspect of the company. Our IT professionals build and support the applications, infrastructure, and networks that empower the business. We value talent who work in an agile environment and are invested in supporting a culture of entrepreneurship.

Managing Editorial & Production Editorial

These departments are responsible for the in-house editorial process of turning manuscripts into bound books after acquisition. This process includes maintaining and modifying the production schedules, hiring and overseeing the work of freelancers (typesetters, copy editors, proofreaders), and proofreading and routing jackets and manuscripts.

Marketing

Marketing touches all aspects of publishing and bookselling. The Marketing department develops and implements creative marketing campaigns, including advertising, social media, and bookstore displays. Marketers work closely with their Sales colleagues to learn what’s happening in the market and to help them promote and share their enthusiasm about books and writers.

Production

The Production department oversees the pre-press and manufacturing process from manuscript to bound book. The team works with outside printers, book manufacturers, and other vendors to produce our books within the desired timeframe and budget.

Publicity

Publicity professionals generate exposure and “buzz” for new books. Publicists pitch to newspapers, television, radio stations, websites, and bloggers to review our titles and feature stories about forthcoming books and authors. Publicists also help create social media outreach, author tours, author signings, readings, and other events.

Publishing Operations

The groups within Publishing Operations secure raw materials for printing traditional books, manage relationships with key vendors to ensure that our books are high quality and produced on schedule, and forecast inventory levels to determine when books need reprinting.

Sales

The Sales team works with booksellers, teachers, and librarians so that our books are available to readers in brick and mortar shops, online retailers, schools, and libraries. Sales teams also ensure that our books are well displayed, merchandised, and promoted.

Subsidiary Rights

The Subsidiary Rights departments for each of our publishing divisions handle the licensing of any rights of the original book in both domestic and foreign markets. Translations, magazine excerpts, audio editions, and book club inclusions are some examples of subrights. Their primary responsibility is to negotiate contracts with licensees to maximize revenue and publishing opportunities for the author and the company.

Warehouse

Penguin Random House is the premier provider of distribution services in the publishing industry. Our state-of-the-art national fulfillment centers are located in Crawfordsville (Indiana), Reno (Nevada), and Hampstead, Eldersburg, and Westminster (Maryland). These fulfillment centers receive, store, pick, pack, and ship out on average more than 1.8 million books daily to customers worldwide.