Company: Random House Inc.

Founder: Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer

Industry: Random House is the leading general trade book publisher in the world.

History:

Over several decades, Random House Inc. has made its way to the top of the publishing industry. It was already the largest printing firm in the English speaking world even before the German entertainment and publishing conglomerate Bertelsmann AG bought it in 1998. The newly acquired printing house continued operating under the name of its senior partner, Random House Inc.

The company was founded in 1927 when Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer bought The Modern Library, which were reprints of classic works of literature. According to Cerf, at that time they were aiming at publishing a few books at random as a sideline, thus the name Random House was created. Then, two years later, they decided to broaden their printing activities.

Since then, Random house thrived through printing various kinds of publications, acquisitions and global expansion. In 1930, they started creating works for children, and in 1947, they entered the field of reference books. Then, starting in 1960, the company purchased several already distinguished publishing houses like Alfred A. Knopf Inc., Pantheon Books, Ballantine Books, Fawcett Books, Fodor’s Travel Guides, and Crown Publishing Group among others. However, Random House itself was acquired by the major media corporation RCA in 1965 and Advance Publications Inc. in 1980. Nevertheless, these purchases contributed to the growth and development of Random House.

Having established offices in Canada in 1944 and in the UK in 1987, Random House eventually made a strong international presence. Both the Canadian and UK branches grew even more because of acquisitions of several other printing firms in those areas.

Today, the company has included a home video distribution arm called Random House Home Video. Not only that, it has provided printing services for some of the most famous writers of our time through various formats like hardcover, paperback, mass market, and audio.

Leadership:

Markus Dohle – CEO
Madeline McIntosh – President, Sales, Operations & Digital