Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Random House NZ MD writes to NZ booksellers


Dear booksellers,

As you may have heard, our parent company Bertelsmann has signed an agreement with Pearson, which is the first step towards combining Random House and Penguin’s respective trade book publishing activities.

One of the key drivers of success for both companies has been our close partnerships with the bookselling community, and I am excited to think of the ways in which the new company will build on those partnerships in the future.   We will be able to continue to deliver amazing books, innovative sales and marketing creativity, and supply chain support, all of which will combine to help you to continue to connect our authors with your readers.

Today, it is business as usual.  Random House and Penguin remain competitors until the proposed new company has been approved by government regulators and the transaction is officially closed. This is expected to take place in the second half of 2013. It is not possible at present to discuss post-closing plans, which we will formulate in detail after careful and thoughtful consideration, and implement over time for the new company.

The local RHNZ team and I remain focused on getting the most out our terrific Christmas lists, as well as planning our titles for next year.  We thank you for your many and ongoing contributions to Random House’s success, which has been a primary motivation behind Bertelsmann’s determination to extend and expand its commitment to trade publishing.  We look forward to continuing our valued relationship with you.

With best wishes


Karen Ferns
Managing Director
Random House New Zealand

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