Whenever there are talks of mergers or takeovers, it’s only natural for company employees—even long time members of the corporate family—to wonder what kind of impact it will have on people at every level of the company. With the official announcement of the newly joining Penguin Random House, Random House’s CEO Markus Dohle sent an open letter to all employees. A similar letter was also sent to literary agents who work with Random House.
The focus of both letters addressed to the various industry professionals was about the importance the joint company will continue to place on authors and on their works. There was a lot of mention of the distinct voices each imprint has favored, and that the commitment to writers and their quality works will not change.
There was no mention of how many employees may be affected in terms of continued employment, although the Dohle did mention that the company leadership would be as transparent as possible with details when they become available. For the agents, Dohle reminded them that the merger has not yet taken place and that, for now, Penguin and Random House remain in competition for authors’ works. He admonished both parties to remain focused on the upcoming fall lists and the anticipated releases.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
