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Random House UK has released a video on YouTube showing some of its biggest authors, including E L James, Lee Child [pictured] and Kathy Reichs, talking about the benefits of working with the publisher.
The video will form part of the Random House UK author portal when it is launched in the second half of this year but was released early through YouTube since it had been well received when shown at an internal company meeting.
The author portal will form part of a wider strategy from the company to better communicate with its authors, with content offering marketing and social media tips, trade updates and consumer insight reports.
For the YouTube video, authors from Katie Fforde to Ian McEwan were filmed in the Vauxhall Bridge Road offices talking about the value of their relationship with Random, with bestseller Child calling the publisher "the best".
Many teased out the benefits of working with a traditional publisher rather than going it alone. James, author of The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, compared her experience as a self-publisher to being published by Random House: "The publicity tour I did in the US, the events I did in the UK, as a self-publisher that is just so time-consuming . . . What's been really interesting is how you really distribute a book, and that is something that publishers, established publishers, can do and can do really well." She added: "It's extraordinary what level of professionalism Random House has brought to this process, and completely contributed to its success."
Kathy Reichs praised the "commitment to making the books work from every single point of view, whether it's the cover art, or the marketing strategy or the editorial suggestions I receive along the way". Meanwhile, Joanna Trollope highlighted: "Within this enormous industrial machine, there is still space for these absolutely crucial personal relationships—I not only value that, I very much admire it." Shirley Hughes said: "There are a lot of books out there and for people to discover your book you have to really rely on your publisher."
Child added: "It's not just a question of finding the manuscript and publishing it, there's an incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work that goes on, and that is where the quality shows or doesn't show."
Ian McEwan backed the value of "good copy-editing" , and former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy said: "My experience of Random House really taught me how important the publisher's contribution really is . . . I think Random House can be proud and be confident in this digital age that they have a set of skills that are unmatched."