New Zealand’s literary community responds to the shock dismissals at Penguin Random House

Authors have responded with anger and dismay at Penguin laying off its legendary fiction editor Harriet Allan.

Word spread late last week that Penguin Random House had made Allan redundant, as well as two other staff in senior positions in sales and publishing. The shock dismissals come just two months after reports that Penguin paid Jacinda Ardern an astonishing $1m (an industry source unconnected with Penguin told ReadingRoom it was closer to $1.5m) to write a book on “leadership”.

ReadingRoom understands that Claire Murdoch, head of publishing at Penguin, will take over the fiction list. She did not respond to messages seeking comment.