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| Q. Are you the same Random House
as the Random House in New York? |
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| A. Yes and no. We are The
Random House Group based in the UK and share the same name and
owner as Random
House Inc. in the US. We do not however, necessarily publish
the same books as Random House Inc. (or indeed, Random
House in Canada, Australia,
New Zealand,
South Africa, Japan or Hong Kong). We are all independent companies
which come together on many projects but also have our own unique
publishing lists. It is for this reason that a book which you find
on the Random
House Inc. site is nowhere to be seen on ours and vice versa. |
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| Q.
How do I get in contact with a Random House author/copyright holder? |
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A. First check to see if the author includes any contact
details on their website in our list of author
sites. If not, so as to protect the privacy of an author,
we are not permitted to give out author contact details under
any circumstances. If you wish to contact an author please do
so BY LETTER ONLY and send it the author c/o Publicity Department,
Random House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA. Your letter
will be forwarded to them immediately if we have their details
on record. If an author's books are now out of print, we are unlikely
to still have their details. To contact an author in these circumstances
is as difficult as it is to contact any private individual. Perhaps
an experienced genealogist or detective agency could help!
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| Q. Can I email a Random House
author/copyright holder? |
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| A. No, not unless they have
publicised their email address on their website as above. We are
unable to forward emails. To contact the author you will need to
write as above. |
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| Q. What if the book I am looking
for doesn't come up when I search on this site? |
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A. If you are sure you have searched accurately then one
of the following will apply:
- It could be published by another part of the Random House
Group. Have you tried searching Random
House Inc. in the US?
- It is not published by Random House at all, but by another
publisher. Search the Amazon
database.
- It is out of print. We do not keep details of books which
were previously published by Random House. See
out of print FAQ below.
- It is published by a company no longer associated with Random
House UK. See below for current Random House companies (imprints).
Otherwise try searching the Amazon
database.
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| Q. How can I buy a book from
the site? |
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| A. Full details are always
available under how to buy
at the top of the page. |
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| Q. Why do
you not sell the books yourself? |
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A. We believe that we are offering a better service for
everybody by providing a facility to quickly and easily purchase
any of our books from established on-line retailers. We believe
that these companies are much more capable of providing the level
of service and competitive pricing that customers expect. Whilst
they would not expect to publish books then neither should we
expect to sell them. We see no advantage in attempting to compete
with companies that are solely dedicated to providing this service.
We also believe that our service enables visitors either to purchase
from their normal retailer, or to easily browse to find the best
available option. We also do not favour on-line retailers against
High Street stores and so provide a facility for quickly locating
a local bookstore. Our aim is to help visitors discover as much
as possible about the latest available books. We then make it
as easy as possible to purchase that book from whatever source
is most appropriate to you.
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| Q. I
have just bought or been given a book published by The Random House
Group in the UK and some pages are missing? |
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| A. Every year we produce
millions of books and unfortunately a very small minority get past
our QA system and into the market with production faults. We do
apologise for this. It is best if you take the book to a bookshop
which should be happy to exchange it for a perfect copy. If you
have any difficulty with this then please send us the title page
or dust cover of the book, explaining what was wrong with it, and
we will be happy to replace it. Only if the book cost more than
£20 should you return the entire book. Please send it to :
Sales Department, The Random House Group, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London, SW1V 2SA. |
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| Q. How
can I get published? |
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| A. The Writers'
and Artists' Yearbook contains addresses of all the UK literary
agents. Research shows that less than 1 per cent of manuscripts
sent unsolicited to publishers achieve publication. It is not easy
to get a book published unless you have an agent, so the best thing
is to start there. You may also find The
Literary Consultancy useful for advice and manuscript assessment. |
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| Q. I
want to submit my manuscript directly, how should I go about doing
this? |
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A. If you do not wish to seek an agent, see above, then
look through our website to find one of our imprints that publishes
similar types of books. You can search by imprint on our Advanced
Search page. Then send a synopsis and sample chapter of your
manuscript to the Editoral Department of the imprint you have
selected. Please do not send any original material – this is particularly
important in the case of artwork and illustrations. Remember to
enclose an SAE with the appropriate amount of return postage.
We cannot accept material sent electronically (by e-mail) or by
fax.
Send your manuscript to Editorial Department, (the name of the
imprint you have selected), Random House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London, SW1V 2SA, England.
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Q. I would like to submit my
poetry for consideration. How do I do this?
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| A. The Jonathan Cape poetry
list is small - publishing 4-6 books a year - and can only consider
collections by English-language poets. Prior to submission, it is
crucial that writers make themselves familiar with the kind of work
published by Cape, and that they then follow the guidelines laid
down in The
Writers' Handbook or The
Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. Ideally, any submission should
include 30-40 poems; all work must be accompanied by a covering
letter and sufficient return postage. Reading time: 2-8 weeks. |
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| Q. I
would like to have my artwork considered, how should I go about
doing this? |
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| A. If you would like us to
consider your artwork for use in adult publications at Random
House please send samples of your work to:
Design Department
The Random House Group
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London
SW1V 2SA
If you would like your artwork to be considered for Children's
titles then please click
here.
Please do not email your samples to us as we are unable to handle
submissions in this format. Please send photocopies or printed
samples (not originals) that we can respond to, but please be
aware that this may take some time.
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| Q. How soon will I receive
a reply? |
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| A. Once a typescript has
been submitted it can take as long as twelve weeks, or even longer,
before a decision is reached. If you want to know if your manuscript
has been received, please enclose a self addressed return postcard
asking for confirmation of receipt. |
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| Q. How
do I find out if a book I want is still in print? |
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| A. If it is a Random House
title - search this site, all
titles from The Random House Group which are in print are listed
in the database. Every bookshop has data on which books are
in print. Alternatively, you could search the Amazon
database for all books currently available in the UK. |
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| Q. If a book is not in print
how can I find a copy? |
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A. It is unlikely the publisher will know how to help
you. Second-hand bookshops are a starting point. You can search
the second-hand book database at www.abebooks.com.
The
Random House Group Archive: For help in indentifying a
book, you can browse the complete archive of publications by Random
House and our imprints dating back to at least 1850. This facility
is available online at http://archive.randomhouse.co.uk/.
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| Q. What is an imprint versus
a publishing company? |
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A. The Random House Group is a publishing company that
comprises a group of imprints that were once separate businesses.
The imprints are either for hardback or paperback editions of
the the same title. For instance John Grisham is published by
the imprints Century and Arrow which are both part of Random House.
Random House imprints are :Arrow, Cedar, Century, Chatto &
Windus, Children's, Ebury, Hutchinson, Hutchinson (Childrens),
Jonathan Cape, Jonathan Cape (Childrens), Pimlico, Red Fox, Rider,
Secker & Warburg, Vermilion, Vintage, William Heinemann and
Yellow Jersey. You can check the current titles of each
imprint by making a selection from the search box on our home
page.
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| Q. How
do I get a job in publishing? |
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| A. Related experience, such
as working in a bookshop is always valuable. Publishers also take
on people to do work experience which is a great way to get inside
and learn the ropes - contact the personnel department at the above
address. Check out the Current
Vacancies at Random House UK. There are a number of publishing
courses at all levels. Oxford Brookes University has The
School of Art, Publishing & Music. |
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Q: How can I find out where and
when an author is on tour?
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| A: Click on Author
Events at the top of this page. You will also find links to
tell you that an author is on tour from any book or author page. |
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| Q. I am a retailer.
How can I order books? |
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| A. Our books are distributed
by TBS. If you would like to place an order then please do
so through PubEasy. |
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| Q.
I would like to use some material from one of your titles in my
publication. What do I need to do? |
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| A. Written permission is
required for use of any material published by the divisions of Random
House in the UK. Please check out our Permissions
Page for full details. |
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| Q. I would like to use some
of your material on my website. What do I need to do? |
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| A. The same rules apply for
electronic media as for traditional publications. Please check
out our Permissions Page for full
details. |
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| Q. Where does the paper used
in the production of Transworld books originate? |
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A. Papers used by Transworld are natural, recyclable products
made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing
processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country
of origin.
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| Q. I live outside the UK and
have just read WHO MOVED MY CHEESE by Dr. Spencer Johnson. How do
I find out if it is available in a foreign language ? |
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| A. We publish this title
in English in the UK and Commonwealth countries only. All enquiries
regarding availability of foreign language editions should be directed
to Penguin Putnam Inc in the USA. Their website address is www.penguinputnam.com/usa/. |
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