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Penguin Random House has opened its UK Random House Author Portal, which will give authors sales figures, news and support.
The portal is currently only open to Random House authors and agents, although it is hoped it will be rolled out across Penguin Random House in the future.
Authors and agents can register for free at the portal to get sales information about their titles from Random House’s own databases and from Nielsen BookScan.
The portal, which is being rolled out to authors this week, will also include an Author Academy, with staff from across Random House writing articles giving tips and information to authors.
Articles available at launch include a publishing terms glossary, a piece on how to register for PLR and social media advice for platforms including Twitter and Goodreads. Information about live Author Academy sessions, which will be held at Random House’s offices, will also be listed on the site, and there is also a news page for announcements from Random House.
Authors are also able to view articles on the bookseller.com via the Author Portal. Those registered on the site will also get a 50% discount on books.
The Author Portal as first announced in January 2013, and was due to launch in the second half of last year.
Sophie Murray, Author Portal manager, said the delays were due to the scale of the project, and the desire to make it as secure as possible, with authors and agents getting access to the right information.
The portal is modelled on the author portal launched by Random House in North America in March 2012, with Murray saying she works closely with her counterpart in the US.
In a video introducing the portal, PRH c.e.o. Tom Weldon said: “Welcome to the Author Portal, our brand new service for our authors. This is an optional service for our authors and agents, providing you with easy, transparent access to all the information you need about your books, containing everything from detailed sales figures to news and support. It complements the existing personal relationships you already have with Random House.
He added: “It is an exciting, innovative way for us to communicate with authors and it helps us provide the best service we can.”