The document summarizes the internship experience of the author at Penguin Random House- India. It thanks the staff at Penguin Random House for their support and guidance during the internship. It also thanks the college for providing the opportunity. The internship lasted 4 weeks in the Marketing and Publicity department. Key activities included coordinating book launches, drafting press releases, updating website content and finding influencers to receive books. The experience helped the author learn skills required for marketing careers.

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank the staff of Penguin Random House- India for the
encouragement and assistance given to me in the preparation of this report. I am
grateful to my immediate supervisor Ms. Vaishnavi Singh and Mr. Aman Arora
for their support, guidance and useful suggestions throughout my internship.
Their moral support and continuous encouragement enabled me to complete my
work successfully. Without their support and help, this project report would not
have been possible. I would like to thank all the staff members of the Marketing
and Publicity department for giving me their helpful support.
I am also grateful to my college, Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi
University for providing me an opportunity to complete my term paper, Mr.
Rohit Rohilla for his guidance and Dr. Manasvini M Yogi for allowing me to do
this internship.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
Company Profile
A brief Summary of the Internship
Internship Activities
Self Evaluation of the Internship Experience
Observation
Conclusion
References
PREFACE
My internship at at Penguin Random House- India was focused towards
learning the skills that are required to successfully work in the department of
marketing and publicity. The report focuses primarily on the assignments
handled, working environment, success and shortcomings I encountered
working in the company as an intern when handling various tasks assigned to
me by the supervisor.
This report reflects the overall work experience I had, what I believe was my
impact within the area I was working in and how well I handled the internship
according to my expectations. Other than that, it talks of my observations about
the internship program and general learning experiences.
The internship report also has copies of the assignments undertaken by me
during my period of internship.

2. INTRODUCTION
After completing my 10+2, I got admission in Indraprastha College for Women,
Delhi University. It had always been my dream to pursue Multimedia and Mass
Communication. I was also sure that with the college credentials, it would be
fairly easy for me to get a good job. Two years into the course, we have been
thoroughly brushed up with the concepts of the different aspects of media- both
practical and theoretical. I was looking forward to my second year
assignment,wherein, I wanted to explore the corporate aspect of the media
involving marketing and public relations. It was not an easy task to locate the
right kind of organization. However, I managed to secure an internship with one
of the leading publishing houses in India, Penguin Random House - India in
Gurgaon, Haryana.
I interned at Penguin Random House- India for a period of around 4 weeks,
from 14 June 2016 to 14th July 2016. During this time, I did my internship in
the marketing and publicity department. The department focused on
promotional strategies for publicizing and marketing the books of the company's
authors as well as organizing events for the launch of a new book.
My internship was under Ms. Vaishnavi Singh, who was the senior executive of
marketing and publicity at the time of my internship. Along with her, I worked
extensively with Mr. Aman Arora, who hold the post of senior manager of
marketing communication in the company.
COMPANY PROFILE:
Penguin Random House is one of the world's premier English language
publishers. It was formed on July 1, 2013 by the merger of book publishers
Random House and Penguin Group. Penguin Random House comprises the
adult and children's fiction and non fiction print and digital trade book
publishing businesses of Penguin and Random House in the U.S, U.K, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and India.
In India, the company is based out of Gurgaon, Haryana which is a part of the
National Capital Region. Penguin Random House is India's largest general trade
publisher with unparalleled distribution strength in the country and the widest
consumer footprint.
Penguin Random House - India is the proud publisher of some of the sub-
continent's finest writers and bestselling talents including Arundhati Roy,
Salman Rushdie, P. Sainath, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Vikram Seth, Jhumpa
Lahiri, Ramachandra Guha, Nandan Nilekani, Amitav Ghosh, Ben Okri, Pankaj
Mishra, Mohammed Hanif, Anita Desai amongst many others.
Penguin Random House publishes across adult and children’s fiction and non-
fiction, both literary and commercial. Penguin has a brilliant Hindi list as well,

3. featuring translations and originals of books by authors such as V.S. Naipaul,
Rama Chandra Guha, Bhasha Singh, amongst many others. Books are also
available in several other languages through local language publishers
Penguin Random House- India authors have won prizes including the Nobel
Prize, the Magsaysay Award, the Jnanpith Award, the Sahitya Akademi Award,
Pulitzer Prize, Man Booker Prize, Man Booker International Prize,
Commonwealth Writers Award, Shakti Bhatt Prize and the DSC Prize for South
Asian Literature. At the 2013 Crossword Book Awards a Penguin Random
House title won in every category.
The publishing list of the company includes more than 70,000 Nobel Prize
laureates and hundreds of the world's most widely read authors. At the 2013
Crossword Book Awards, a Penguin Random House title won in every category.
Every Year, Penguin Random House- India, dominates the Hindustan Times/
Nielsen bestseller lists.
The company has a staff strength of over 10,000 people globally out of which
India boasts of a strength of over 200. The marketing and publicity department
of Penguin Random House- India comprises of a team of 8 hardworking
individuals.
The following is a list of people who are a part of the Marketing and Publicity
Department at Penguin Random House- India:
Aman Arora - Senior Manager Marketing Communication
Shruti Katoch - Senior Manager, Marketing and Publicity
Neha Punj- Assistant Manager, Marketing and publicity
Vaishnavi Singh, Senior Executive Marketing and Publicity
Ronnie Kuriakose- Executive, Marketing and Publicity
Debosmita Sarkar- Executive, Marketing and Publicity
Priyanka Sabharwal- Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
Naomi Barton - Digital Merchandiser
A Brief Summary of the Internship
Due to expressing interest in working in the corporate branch of
communication, my internship was then designed to suit these goals and provide
the most useful experience. During my internship at Penguin Random House-
India, I was exposed to the salient features of working in marketing and the
expertise required to excel in this field.
As a marketing intern, my work profile was to work on and coordinate all the
activities pertaining to the launch and promotion of a new book. This included
designing press releases, making sure that the book was received and reviewed
by the press well before the launch. One such book on which I put an extensive
effort is Half Lion by Vinay Sitapati. I had to also place calls and write emails in

4. order to ensure that the company database and the website content was updated.
My work also included finding content for digital marketing for the books under
publication. Post the book release of Half Lion, my job also entailed with a
followup exercise. It includes analyzing the reviews and recommendations
online. I contributed to the content of the June 2016 edition of the company's
newsletter.
Internship Activities
As an intern, I was assigned to work under Ms. Vaishnavi Singh, Senior
Executive of Marketing and Publicity at Penguin Random House, India who has
been associated with the organization for over 2 years.
On my first day I was assigned the task of finding contact details of celebrities,
politicians and other influential individuals. I was given a list of influencers
which notable names such as Arvind Kejriwal, Amitabh Bachchan, Smriti Irani,
Kapil Sibal, Barkha Dutt, Ratan Tata among others. I had to contact the Public
Relations managers of these people on behalf of Penguin, India in order to make
sure that the people on the list received a copy of the book Super 30 by Anand
Kumar.
My next assignment was to contact the marking team of video makes such as
WOW Makers, Jamun, Explainers, Honey Comb India, Scoopwhoop Videos,
Mirror and smoke,etc who specialized in covering celebrity events or projects. I
also had to contact the marketing team of men's perfume brands such as Fogg,
Park Avenue, Axe, Nivea Men, Wild Stone, Old Spice, Garnier Men. The
underline purpose of the said activity was to get the marketing teams on a single
platform in order to work on a video production for celebrated romance author,
Mr. Ravinder Singh. I was also asked to draft a list of advertising agencies who
could help in promotion of the video production.
The Penguin Random House, India website, then, was undergoing a major
technical and data upgrade. I was also entrusted to send an email out to all the
Random House authors to inform them of the commencement of upgradation,
asking them to send in their updated information and latest photographs. These
were required to be uploaded on the author profile page of
www.randomhouse.co.in. Some of these included the likes of Naseeruddin
Shah, A.N Wilson, Arya Babbar, Fadia Faqir, P. Chidambaram, Pupul Jayakar
among others.
The pre launch of a book also meant that several press releases had to be handed
out to the concerned media and other Penguin and Random House authors. In
addition to coordinating the handing out of the press releases, my work as an

5. intern also saw me contributing to the content and formulation of such press
releases. During my period of Internship, I contributed to the content of Three
Press Releases - Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg, which talks about
making choices in ways which make us productive highlighting eight key
concepts from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making; Words
Matter edited by K. Satchidanandan, a book in which eminent poets and
scholars give insights and nurture critical thinking to fight all kinds of
discrimination and insularity and Half Lion by Vinay Sitapati, a biography of
P.V Narsimha Rao which is a collection of his personal papers, letters and
interviews tracing Rao's journey in transforming India's economic landscape.
Puffin Books is a part of Penguin Random House with special emphasis on
books for Children. I had to research and review the popular titles of graphic
novels from the June 2016 edition which would be featured in the June edition
of the company's newsletter. A few titles from comic highlights included Trump,
Fight Club 2, Batman and Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Justice
League amongst others. There was an upcoming event coming up the British
Council for which I had to make a list of the renowned British authors that have
been associated with Random House. Some research work was also required to
extract the relevant works of these authors which could prove to be a useful
promotional tool for the upcoming event. In the research I conducted for this
task, I came up with a list of popular British Random House authors and titles
which included the works of Joe Saco (Journalism), Neil Gaiman (Sadman
Series, Absolute Death), Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis series), Isabel Greenberg
(The Encyclopedia of early Earth), Guy Delisle (Jerusalem) and James
Patterson (Maximum Ride).
The book publishers use social networking as a promotional tool for they
books. This includes popular sites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and
Pinterest. As an intern, under the supervision of my senior, Vaishnavi, I also had
to conduct a research to find out and analyze the various activities carried out by
publishers on Instagram. The not only included fellow Penguin Random House
publications in the U.S, U.K, Australia, but also other big names like Oxford,
Crossword. A part of my research for the same also analyzing the current trends
used on Instagram in the form of hashtags and their effects. A few of the
hashtags included #bookfacefriday, #bookthroughthephone, #bookstagram,
#booksonbooksonbooks, #booktastic, #bookgasm, #bookswag amongst others. I
also dug up some interesting posts of book publishers, book stores on Instagram
to find out what do they click, what contests they organize for book lovers and
the give aways they do. In addition to this, I was required to draft out a list of
India-based book Instagram accounts having large followers- Oxford book
stores, DC books, Crossword book stores as well as read-a-holic bloggers-
Karishma Rawat, Shreya Vaid, Deepti Mohanti, Ipshita Sengupta; and other

6. Instagram handles that are India based- Indian book worm, Bring Your Own
Book (BYOB) India, Little Black Book, SoDelhi, The Logical Indian, Delhi
Gram amongst others.
In today's world, almost all the marketing and promotional activities are
conducted online. I had to extract interesting content from the books which
could be used as promotional and publicity source for digital marketing on
platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. The books that I worked on to
extract content for digital media marketing included Red Lipstick by Laxmi
Nayyar. The book, under publication, is an account of how Laxmi Nayyar
transformed from being a young boy to a transgender woman highlighting her
pain, frustration, struggle and the scorn meated out by the society that made her
the confident and successful person she is today. I also extracted content from
Jihadi Jane by Tabish Khair which is a heart-wrenching, masterful and
stunningly powerful account of militant brides operating around the world and
the terrifying cost of religious fanaticism through a story of two girls who join
the ISIS.
I also was in touch with several reports, editors, columnists and journalists to
have the database of the company updated. The purpose for this task was to
have an updated list of journalists and editors of print media in Delhi for
coverage of events and interviews. My role was to place calls to the concerned
people and confirm if they were still working with the same organization that
was listed in the already existing media profile of Penguin Random House. A
few notable names included Kaushik Mitter, Rupa Sarkar (Asian Age); Mona
Walia, Narayani Ganesh (Times of India) Amrita Dutta, Leher Kala (Indian
Express) Mini Kapur (The Hindu) Ivinder Gill, Harsh Barua (Financial
Express) amongst others. I also placed calls to such people to confirm if they
had received the book, Words Matter and whether they would do a review for
the same and feature it.
For the purpose of updating the database of digital marketing, I was required to
do some research and draft out a list of people who have an influence on the
audience present in the digital world. It included names such as Rohan Joshi,
Tanmay Bhatt, Vir Das, Rajiv Masand, Akanksha Redhu, Chandan Khanna
amongst others. Such people are famous of platforms such as Youtube, Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook and Freelance blogging. They command a huge following
and have an influencing effect on their followers.
A part of the job also involved fishing up postal addresses of corporate and
political bigwigs so that a copy of an upcoming book by Subba Rao could be
delivered to them. I found the profile of such people and corporate groups and
traced their contact details. This was followed up with a call which acted as our
introduction and also ensured that the addresses listed were legitimate. A few

7. names with whom I could personally or through their managers interact are
Suman Berry, Charan Singh, Ashok Desai, Rajiv Kumar, Patrick Foulis, Ajay
Shah, Ajit Rande, Indira Raghavan, Anand Sinha, Shyamala Gopinath, Usha
Thorat, etc.
I had put in an extensive effort in the promotion of the book -Half lion. As a part
of the tasks assigned to me, I drafted a press release and also shipped out a large
number of copies from the first edition to eminent authors from the list that I
drafted. I made sure to counter check that the book was delivered to and
received by them. Since the book was doing exceedingly during the first week
of launch, we soon ran out of copies. The book was sent for a reprint,
meanwhile, I made extracts of around 500 words from the novel which was sent
to eminent personalities like Barkha Dutt for their consideration and review. I
also got a chance to assist in the launch of the book as a part of the team. Post
the launch, I was required to call up journalists and other reviewers to schedule
their appointments with the author, Vinay Sitapati, so that he could be
interviewed. I also drafted a report on Half Lion which was to be printed in the
June 2016 edition of the company's newsletter. Post the launch, marketing and
publicity of the book, my job was to extract links related to interviews of the
author with journalists and reporters as wells as the book reviews online by
media houses like Times of India, The Hindu, Deccan Chronicle and several
bloggers. I also prepared a report with reference to 'Goodreads' which listed the
ratings and recommendations given to the novel online. The purpose of this
report was to ensure that the records were updated for any related future
reference.
As a part of the extended promotional strategy of the company, I also wrote to
'Reddit' requesting them to cover the articles of Penguin Random House- India
as well as having the Penguin authors write for them. My job was to get in
touch with the concerned person for the same. During the last few days of my
internship, I also worked on a pitch document for A-listed Bollywood Star. I had
prepared power point presentation that would be used by my supervisor. It
would help the authors of the untitled book to gain an insight into the working
culture of Penguin Random House- India. They would be able to see first hand,
the strategies which would be applied by the marketing team of the company for
this particular project.
On my last day, I, along with my supervisor Mr. Aman Arora, worked on
creating a marketing strategy for 'The Socialite Penguin'. Penguin Random
House- India is planning to have its books displayed in the famous restaurant,
Social Offine in Hauz Khas. My contribution to this was helping him
understand the way the mind of todays youth functions, the manner in which the

8. books should be displayed to grab attention. I also suggest that as a promotional
strategy of this initiative, the company should organize book give-aways to
those customers- readers who agree to review the books published by the
company as well as design a brand ambassador program to publicize 'The
Socialite Penguin'
Self Evaluation of the Internship Experience
I had entered into my internship looking for a chance to understand the practical
approach involved in adopting promotional techniques and strategies by a
company as well as to improve my own knowledge of what happens behind the
curtains of a publishing house. I feel that my internship has helped me fulfill all
these goals and has helped me understand the subtle nuances of book publishing
and marketing.
Although I was working as an intern, I contributed to an extent in the entire
department's everyday working during the entire time that I spent there. As an
intern, my internship at Penguin Random House - India has convinced me that
working for the best of publishing houses in the country is not simply at 10 to 5
job, doing some mundane clerical or managerial work and issuing paychecks to
the employees. Even my specific work as an intern had such a wide range of
activities as could not be the boast of even the most prestigious publishing
companies anywhere in the world.
Success
Working in the marketing department of Penguin Random House- India allowed
me to experience a wider world of publishing and marketing as well as how
one can define success.
My work that started with conducting research to find contact details of famous
personalities, slowly progressed for gathering more information which could
later be used by the marketing department of the company. I was continuously
updating the database, ensuring safe delivery of merchandise and helping with
the marketing strategies on the social media sites. Coming in direct contact with
the famous people from the corporate and political world, as also the authors of
some best selling books, could be a lifetime achievement for a fresh intern.
The appreciation for my work that I got from my supervisors, especially from
Mr. Aman Arora, is going to be my asset for the rest of my life. I am proud to
have interned for the company that decide producing visual and children's
books, publishes hundreds of new titles including fiction and non-fiction
narratives on a wide variety of subjects, such as history, politics, business,
travel, romance, philosophy, fitness.

9. My experience as an intern was not just delimited to managing day to day
events on conservative lines but also getting exposed to what is the best in the
modern world. During my internship under the supervision of highly qualified
and experienced supervisors, I could relate myself quite efficiently to a large
following on our social networking sites, help in the production and promotion
of books, ensure properly delivery of merchandise, help organize various
literary activities.
Within the first week of my internship, my supervisors felt that I was capable
enough to find out the content for digital media marketing as well as placing
calls to eminent media, political and corporate personalities. Apart from this, It
was a big step that the senior manager of marketing communication allowed me
to draft a report on the launch of Half Lion, which was to be published in the
June edition of the company's news letter and prepare extracts from the novel
that would be mailed to journalists and other Penguin Random House authors.
It has helped me to get clear insight into the working of various departments,
how they communicate with each other. It has also increased my problem
solving abilities. The tasks which I was assigned to were new to me and posed
challenges. Though I had help in the form of supervisors, I realized that most of
the problems were to be dealt by myself alone. This internship helped me
realize the effort that is required in achieving one's goals and pushed me to look
for answers beyond their own comfort zone. My internship has helped me to
decrease dependence on people and try to solve the problems which are faced
by myself. My interaction with the who's who of the literary world initially left
me on a shaky wicket. Gradually I could muster the courage and confidence to
accomplish the tasks that had been assigned to me. I realized that these people
were also flesh and blood and most of the times very humble. It gave me a new
found respect for the literary persona.
Event management had its own flavor and charm. There is so much of
coordination required between people of absolute backgrounds. During my
internship, when I was given a chance to assist in the book launch, I got a
chance to interact with the authors. One of the perks of being in the organizing
team was also being able to gain an insight into behind-the-scenes work and the
technicalities involved in making an event successful. I had no clue that the
book launch could be such an eventful and fun filled affair.
In our English classes, we have often read about formal and informal
communication that happens between people in an organization. The internship
provided me with a chance to test my communication skills. I could learn a lot
from my seniors as to how they got work done using formal and informal
approach. I also learnt a lesson in patience. My supervisors had been extremely
patient in overlooking the few mistakes that I made and guided me to complete

10. the work in a proper manner.
Another success would be the appreciation received from other supervisors in
the department in terms of coordinating activities relating to delivery of Penguin
Random House merchandise, novels, events and the efficient approach adopted
for completion of tasks. They also appreciated my efforts to offer to help in all
activities as well as ask for more work after successful completion of a task
assigned to me.
My immediate supervisor Ms. Vaishnavi Singh, was very helpful in sorting out
any confusion during the first two or three days of my internship and I count it
as a success that I was able to assist her in conducting Instagram based research
to figure out the trends in the publishing industry adopted by several other
publishing houses in order to market and promote their books. I feel that the
amount of work and praise I received reflects on my ability to take up an
assignment and complete to the best of my knowledge and satisfaction.
I can say that this internship provided a clear vision of the publishing houses
and it has given me a valuable insight regarding the final career decision which
I would take.
Shortcomings
The internship did not come without its share of frustrations. Even though I
enjoyed my internship at Penguin Random House- India, it did not come
without shortcomings. Sometimes people forget as interns, we are not used to
taking the pressures of a corporate world. There have been days where I had
been saddled with work of which I had no clue on how I was going to
accomplish the task. There have been times during my first few days, I realized
that I was not up to the mark and the expectation of the staff. They treated me as
a fellow co-worker and not someone who was there to learn the ropes.
Our entire student life, we have grown accustomed to a lot of practice sessions
before the final attempt. I realized to my horror that it was always attempt here.
There were no practice tasks and only work that had to be dealt with, maturely
and efficiently. Initially it was very tough for me but slowly I became a part of
the well oiled system.
Despite these shortcomings, there was much to be learnt and I appreciate the
efforts of all my supervisors.
Observation
Penguin Random House- India provided several opportunities for an intern to

11. work upon the basic skills required in the marketing industry. The skills which
are learnt as an intern would go a long way to widen my perspective and be
more fruitful to the work which had been allotted to me.
While working at Penguin Random House- India, I observed that even though it
is a large company that caters to a larger audience. The office environment was
very westernized. There was an informal way of addressing each other.
Everyone, irrespective of the post they held, was called by their first name.
There is space for individualized attention within the department if one knows
where the interests lie. I observed that as an intern, one must show skills and
enthusiasm to be trusted with work.
My supervisors were very patient and helped me out to no end in understanding
the dynamics and basics of being involved in the department.Other than that,
they are committed to their work. Their friendliness and strict work ethic
allowed me to feel comfortable at my internship and work to the best of my
abilities. Even the higher officials within the organization are willing to lend
some time and knowledge to those who wish to learn more about this field and
are a vast store of information that they are only glad to share.
During my internship, I was treated as a member of the marketing and publicity
team and was given responsibilities that made my internship useful and
successful in terms of providing practical hands-on experience.
Conclusion
To conclude, I would like to thank my supervisors at Penguin Random House-
India that allowed me to make most of my internship and offered enough help to
make my internship a wonderful experience.
Even prior to my internship, I was quite sure of the choice of my career as a
media person. My internship has not only reassured me about the veracity of my
life's aim but also has strengthened my resolve to be highly motivated,
innovative, progressive and pragmatic professional. And for all this, and much
more, I feel indebted to my learned supervisors and quite caring members of the
Penguin Random House staff. To me, to be at the Penguin Random House has
turned out be a wonderful experience. It has taught me to realize my full
potential in the media world and to be a complete person on the larger canvas of
life.
Now as I review the table of contents of my internship, I derive the utmost
satisfaction for having done a comprehensive work under the expert supervision
of my supervisors. Within the large ambit of my internship was included
learning the finest techniques of making successful transactions, updating
'database' for specific purposes, assisting marketing strategists for the sale
promotion of books and to widen the base of an already 'large following' on the

12. social media sites. Besides the promotion of books, the launching of new titles
and new titles for the publicity of latest merchandise and organizing various
social activities was an experience that only the best of the publishing houses
could have given me.
To sum, Penguin Random House- India is a premier institution that combines
the best of 'professionalism' and the best of 'creativity'. After completing my
internship here, I strongly believe that one has to be with this company to
experience life and fullness. It is not only a place where one learns to develop
'fellow-feeling', develop 'team-spirit', learn to relate efficiently to the outer
world, but also to develop self culture without which the life loses its real
meaning.
One month of internship has helped me to remove any iota of doubt regarding
the course of my future. I am pretty sure now that I would like to go back and
pick the baton from where I left it. This internship has given me a lot of clarity
on what I am supposed to do with my professional life. I know for sure that I
would pursue a course related to marketing, public relations and communication
management for my masters. I would love to go back to that culture,
environment and learn all that it has to offer. If one month of internship could
help me so much, I feel that a couple of years down the line could make me a
thorough professional. After spending a few years in the corporate world, I hope
to give back what has been given to me.
References
Aman Arora
Senior Manager, Marketing Communication- Penguin Random House- India
Email: aarora@penguinrandomhouse.in
Contact Number: +91-9718058893
Vaishnavi Singh
Senior Executive, Marketing and Publicity, Penguin Random House- India
Email: vsingh@penguinrandomhouse.in
Ronnie Kuriakose
Executive, Marketing and Publicity- Penguin Random House-India
Email: rkuriakose@penguinrandomhouse.in