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What Was Random House CEO’s Exciting, 50 Shades of Grey-Related Christmas Party Announcement?

Dec. 10, 2012 6:50pm Erica Ritz

Random House CEO Markus Dohle Announces $5,000 Fifty Shades of Grey Bonus for Employees at Christmas Party

Random House CEO Markus Dohle announces a $5,000 bonus for employees during the company’s holiday party at Martin’s in Westminster, Md. Friday, Dec 7, 2012. (Photo: AP)

(TheBlaze/AP) –Thanks to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” employees at Random House Inc. are seeing green.

Every worker, from the mail room to editorial to distribution, will receive a $5,000 bonus in their next paycheck, according to reports. For employees who have been with the company for less than a year, the amount will be prorated.

(Photo: Random House)

The announcement was made by CEO Markus Dohle at the company’s annual holiday party, and the applause is said to have lasted for minutes.

In a company-wide letter sent Monday, Dohle credited the publishing house’s “unprecedented success” in 2012 for the generous end-of-year sendoff.

The biggest success was undeniably EL James’ erotic “Fifty Shades” trilogy, which has sold more than 35 million copies. Making an almost immediate impact on American culture– everyone knows what the books are about– the series has been distributed to dozens of countries, and Universal Pictures has nabbed the movie rights.

But that wasn’t their only success this year. Random House also released best-sellers “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn and “The Passage of Power” by Robert Caro.

Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said Monday that while some employees have existing bonus plans, the across-the-board payment was “unique” for the company.

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Comments (33)

Jim in Houston
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 2:22pm
Like they say, sex sells.

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myptofvu
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 9:51am
The bonuses probably had a lot to do with the uncertainty of the tax schedule. A lot of businesses are giving away their cash right now.

What gets me is why didn’t the CEO just come out and say that?

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jessieH
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 9:34am
Well, thanks to Osama Obama & Congress, that’s only worth about two grand.

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Mojoron
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 8:44am
Who would think that employee’s would make that much money off of a profane, over-sexed series of books?

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frenchdragon
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:07am
The decline in the media started when Playtex started advertizing “The Living Bra” on television. Late 50s I think? Then came Free Sex in the 60′s. Wait ’til they start advertizing condom brands on TV. They’ve already got vibraters and lubricants.

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betterpart
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 3:05am
I have a few lady friends who read the book. All three reactions were that the thing was ‘dumb’, ‘stupid’, ‘a waste of time and money’, and ‘uninteresting’.

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LeadNotFollow
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 1:09am
I’m sick of hearing about that filthy “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

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RaydocX
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 1:00am
Agree tax concerns are pushing this, but it’s nice they are helping out theb’little people’

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jman-6
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:21am
The cynic in me says Random House calculated what they will owe O’bolshevik in taxes come Jan. 2013 and gave their employees that money and get some good press with it! Bravo to them as their employees needed it more than the useless beauricrats!

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brigott
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 11:43pm
“The biggest success was undeniably EL James’ erotic “Fifty Shades” trilogy, which has sold more than 35 million copies. Making an almost immediate impact on American culture– everyone knows what the books are about….”

That’s a rather hasty generalization, isn’t it, Blaze?

No, I do NOT know what the books are about, and I am not an ignorant, unintelligent, uneducated individual.

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- jman-6
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:08am
  Then may I suggest getting some fresh air!
  
  Report this comment
R.Waher
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 11:19pm
Great, so erotic fanfics are big sellers now. Maybe I should try to sell my Captain Kirk/Optimus Prime slashfic to Random House.* I could make a killing.

*I didn’t actually write that. But someone probably did. :(

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djmaine
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 11:14pm
watch the other hand

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BannedByHuffpo
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 10:23pm
50 Shades of Gray?

I’ve been using the Just For Men formula that leaves “just a hint” of gray, won’t wash out and lasts up to 6 weeks.

What’s all the fuss?

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- johngalt76
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 1:59am
  lol
  
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ConservativeCanucklehead
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 9:59pm
“EL James’ erotic “Fifty Shades” trilogy … everyone knows what the books are about”.

Great job there Blaze Editor. I do not have the slightest idea what the books are about. I’ll add this to the loooooong list of ridiculous, amateurish gaffes on your part.

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- le misanthrope
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 10:33pm
  It’s my understanding that it is sadistic porn. I would quit if I worked for that outfit.
  
  Report this comment
- Kupo
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 10:50pm
  You’re right. Perhaps he should have said, “everyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows what the books are about”
  
  Report this comment
TexasSenior
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 8:19pm
Had to use a sewer snake this week and found 50 shades of grey in there. Random house can be very proud to be feeding this excrement to the American public. We live in one sick nation.

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bitterclinger
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 8:17pm
Shouldn’t have made that annoucement so public, Mr. Dohle (who looks uncannily like a young Jeremy Irons). Barky will be after the swag now.

Not sure if everyone REALLY knows what 50 Shades is all about. I read a review by a woman who was retiring from social services after 30 years: apparently America is crazy for pedophilia.

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Stelex
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 8:12pm
Sorry, but I’m agnostic……and a single dad. If this book works up some of the lady’s. I’m all in. But tell yall what, I’ll only use 27 shades of gray. Just saying……..now I feel so ashamed. ;-} OK, I feel better now.

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BlessedONE333
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 8:01pm
sexual sin is very lucrative but what does a person profit when he gains the whole world [or in this case a check for $5,000] but loses their own soul?

answer: an eternity separated from the light/love of TRUTH/GOD

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Aldo
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:55pm
Hey, wait a minute. Those bad managers at random house didn’t pay a fair bonus to everyone outside the company too. Everyone deserves part of that money. (Why should the people who earned it get to keep it?)

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OldSurfRat
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:43pm
Thats how you keep the unions out.
Take care of your people and they will tell the unions to go pound sand.

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FISH_BONE
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:37pm
Now Clark Griswold can put in that swimming pool!!

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- SaturdaysWarrior76
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 3:14pm
  haha! :)
  
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cptenn94
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:37pm
And books like 50… are part of why our nation is in decline

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- Lindsay4410
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 9:02pm
  You’re right. Sexy things are bad. BAD BAD BAD! Let’s do away with all types of pornography, and lingerie, and sex toys. In fact, all romance novels need to go. They have the exact same amount of sex in them that this book does. Gotta get rid of any commercials that use sex as an advertiser. Gotta stop any company that uses sex as a way to get the public’s attention, and every writer or film maker or artist that uses it in their medium.
  
  In fact, lets just BAN SEX! Sex is so bad for you. Lust is a sin, right?
  
  Just so we’re on the same page, sexy = bad. Okay. Got it.
  (Sigh. I’m really going to miss my Nora Roberts books, and my lacy things.)
  
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- Kupo
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 10:52pm
  Books like 50 are a symptom, not a source.
  
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RANGER1965
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:24pm
Well done Random House.

That was a class act.

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DZ-015
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:09pm
From 50 Shades of Gray to 5000 bills of green?

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DougHuffman
Posted on December 10, 2012 at 7:02pm
Hmm, “– everyone knows what the books are about–” No, I’ve been reading Clash of Civilizations and the Remake of World Order by Samuel P. Huntington.

Good people ought to be armed as they will, with wits and Guns and the Truth. God Bless Bitter Clingers, damn progs.

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- drs1969
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 8:25pm
  All part of the modern day Bread and Circus’s.
  
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