Celebrate Penguin Specials Series' 80th Anniversary at The Bookworm Tonight!
Anyone who has ever wandered into the halls of Bookworm, most likely stumbled upon a set of books undoubtedly coming from the same family. Pocket-friendly size, minimalistic color scheme ... Sound familiar? You have just spotted a Penguin Special's book in its natural habitat.
The first special baby penguin wandered into the wide world 80 years ago, and Penguin China has been waddling around since 2005. In 2012, Penguin China and Random House merged and have since started the Penguin Random House North Asia series (I promise to not use the full name all throughout the post). The writing they work with is of quite a wide range: from fiction about Asia to non-fiction coming out of it.
They are throwing a cozy get-together at The Bookworm to commemorate and celebrate the date, with a chance to meet editor Lena Petzke and sip on a glass of wine. She will tell you about an upcoming book release and Penguin's mission and vision for China's local and visiting litterateurs.
TBJ: On penguins: After 80 years of Penguin Specials, what would you say is the mission of the Penguin China series in one sentence?
Lena: Penguin China Specials are small books filled with big ideas on and from the Middle Kingdom.
On broader horizons: So, what is it about Penguin Specials that make them stand out from other publishers’ programs?
The Specials are informative, thought-provoking, and relevant; short and concise enough to devour on a train ride or flight (between Shanghai and Beijing, for instance).
On success rates: Do you think that books from Penguin Specials resonate with readers? Why so?
Our readers have told us that they find them to be accessible reads that get them thinking and they adore the cover design. The tri-band is as iconic as the Penguin logo itself and the illustrations are due to the genius and talent of our in-house designer Suo Di.
On numbers: How many books have you published?
Here, at Penguin Random House North Asia, we helped bring twenty-nine Specials to readers during the last four years. In early 2018, we’ll publish our thirtieth Special!
On demand: Which of the books have been the most popular amongst the masses? Is there a genre or topic that prevails?
Since we have quite a few genres represented in the series, I couldn’t really say. There is something for everybody: history, fiction in translation, memoir, and contemporary narrative non-fiction. There are more areas to explore, so we’re looking forward to even more variety (and colors in cover designs).
On preferences: What is your favorite (or favorites) from the series?
That’s an impossible question. I love them all equally! Find me at our event and I’ll recommend a Special that fits your taste.
On personal stories: You have worked with Penguin Random House North Asia for 3 years, what personal connection flourished throughout this time and how is Penguin Special's philosophy close to you, personally?
The essence of this series is what makes my job so wonderful: you’ll find something new in every book. Publishing is this great collective of creative people that teach you new things every day and our authors, translators, and my colleagues are patient mentors. I am tremendously grateful to all of them for sharing their stories and knowledge with me and our readers.
Meet Lena and get some Penguin books (that come with a Penguin China tote bag this month with every two books) at the Bookworm this Saturday at 7.30pm. RMB 50 (drink, as always, included).
Images: Courtesy of Penguin Random House
More by this author here.
