Penguin Random House Will Stop Distributing D&D in 2024
Penguin Random House and WotC are parting ways next year. But WotC still has Amazon, FLGSes, and more. Here’s what we know.
Penguin Random House announced to various retailers this week that starting January 2024, it will no longer be distributing D&D books. The statement echoes an announcement WotC made a month or so ago through the Wizards Play Network site:
Effective January 1, 2024, Penguin Random House LLC is ceasing distribution of Dungeons & Dragons titles from Wizards of the Coast. Moving forward, your store will be able to order Dungeons & Dragons titles directly from one of our approved distributors.
Meaning that you might soon be seeing D&D books disappear from bookstores. Although that all depends on if WotC finds another book distributor or not. At any rate, here’s what PRH had to say.
Penguin Random House Drops WotC
Penguin Random House is one of the largest book distributors out there. Supplying books to retailers like Barnes & Noble (among others), PRH helped see to the rise of D&D in more mainstream bookstores big and small. But, per their own email:
“Effective December 31, 2023, Penguin Random House LLC will cease distributing titles for Wizards of the Coast LLC.”
What’s interesting is that there’s no explanation offered as to why. Just that distribution will be ceasing. Which may have an impact on where you can find D&D books. As mentioned, Penguin and distributors like them, make it easy for bookstores to handle stock, especially “riskier” books like the D&D series, which have more of a niche audience (though this too is changing).
And of course, there’s always the possibility that WotC finds another book distributor to handle their physical products. Though as they move towards a more digital-facing strategy, who knows what chunk of their business physical books will even be?
At any rate, with 2024 bringing a new wave of D&D Core Rulebooks, it’s an interesting time for this relationship to end. Time alone will tell what its lasting impacts will be, but in the meantime, you can still find D&D through Amazon, gaming stores, and of course, all the usual digital sites.
What do you think Penguin’s withdrawal means for D&D?
