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May 25, 2012
TO: Penguin Group (USA) Colleagues FROM: Marilyn Ducksworth, Dave Zimmer, Malin von Euler-Hogan
MAC users, please visit http://www.penguin.com/spotlightusa to read Spotlight on the web.
John Sandford's Stolen Prey Debuts at #1 on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List (to top)
Stolen Prey, the 22nd novel in John Sandford's acclaimed Prey series, debuts at #1 on The New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list for the week of June 3. G.P. Putnam's Sons launched the book last week as Sandford began his national tour with a record turn-out in Minneapolis before moving on to Ann Arbor, St. Louis, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Fairhope, Alabama, and Los Angeles. Rave reviews have been featured on USATODAY.com and in such publications as The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Houston Press, Richmond Times Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, St. Paul Pioneer Press and Costco Connection. Read an excerpt from Stolen Prey.
Reviewers Rave as John Grisham's Theodore Boone: The Accused Debuts at #3 on The New York Times Children's Series Bestseller List (to top)
Theodore Boone: The Accused, the third book in John Grisham's #1 New York Times-bestselling children's book series from Dutton Juvenile, debuts at #3 on The New York Times children's series list this week. Since its launch, the Theodore Boone series has been lauded as "classic Grisham" (The Los Angeles Times) and "gripping" (Scholastic News). The New York Times raved, "Not since Nancy Drew has a nosy, crime-obsessed kid been so hard to resist." And USA Today wrote, "Theo is a terrific character, an everyman kind of kid." The books have also become staples in classrooms across the country and are also now the centerpiece of school curricula focused on our legal system. Theodore Boone: The Accused is "a winner" says the Florida Times-Union. The series follows Theodore Boone, the smart and inventive thirteen-year-old son of Woods and Marcella Boone, husband and wife attorneys living in the small city of Strattenburg. Theo knows every judge, policeman, and court clerk in town—and a lot about the law. He dreams of a life in the courtroom, as a famous trial lawyer or a great judge. In the first two books in the series, Theo helped solve a murder mystery and a kidnapping. In Theodore Boone: The Accused, 13-year-old amateur lawyer Theo is back in a new adventure. While all of Strattenburg anxiously awaits the new trial of infamous murder suspect Pete Duffy, problems arise for Theo. There's been a robbery and Theo is "the Accused." His reputation is on the line, and with the evidence building against him—and dangerous threats looming—Theo will do whatever it takes to prove his innocence—even if it means breaking a few rules. Read an excerpt from Theodore Boone: The Accused.
Viking's Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable is a Finalist for Andrew Carnegie Medal (to top)
The finalists for the newly created Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were announced last week and Viking's Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable is one of three finalists in the Nonfiction category. The inaugural winners will be named at the American Library Association convention in Anaheim on June 24. Marable's Malcolm X previously won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for History. Read an excerpt from the multi-award winning biography.
Penguin-Companhia's Portuguese Ulysses Translation Tops Brazilian Bestseller Lists (to top) Penguin-Companhia's new Portuguese translation of Ulysses by James Joyce is #1 on the fiction list and the 4th bestselling title in Livraria Cultura — the second most important bookstore in Brazil. Veja, Brazil's main weekly magazine, critically praised the Penguin Classics translation: "The translator, Galindo, achieves masterfully in reproducing Joyce's linguistic originality, as well as the colloquial vitality of his dialogue." Folha de S.Paulo, one of the most read newspapers in the country, stated: "We are presented with Ulysses as what it should be in the first place: a novel, probably the greatest of all time, and not some estimable puzzle."
Portfolio's How to Be Richer, Smarter, and Better-Looking Than Your Parents by Zac Bissonnette Hits The New York Times Bestseller List and Attracts Attention as Author Appears on The Today Show (to top)
Portfolio's 23-year-old author Zac Bissonnette landed at #8 on The New York Times Advice, How to and Miscellaneous paperback bestseller list for the week of May 27 with his new book, How to Be Richer, Smarter, and Better-Looking Than Your Parents. Sales have been very strong since Zac's fantastic appearance on The Today Show and a great New York Times storys. Ron Lieber at The New York Times called the book "a lot of what book-buying parents want for their young adult children" and quipped that, "though only a third of 2012 has passed, Zac Bissonnette is already a strong contender for the cheekiest author of the year award."
Riverhead Launches Lizz Winstead's Lizz Free or Die With Four-Week National Tour (to top)
As a co-creator of The Daily Show, co-founder of Air America Radio Network, and an in-demand standup comic, Lizz Winstead is one of the most influential political satirists working today. In her first book, Lizz Free or Die, published by Riverhead on May 10, Winstead writes movingly and candidly about the formative episodes from her youth and early adulthood that were so instrumental in helping her develop the unmistakable worldview which continues to animate her work today: her childhood dreams of becoming a priest, her fraught teenage relationship with an abusive hockey player, her fascination during college with Prince and other luminaries of the early-80s Minneapolis music scene, and her earliest attempts at making a living through stand-up comedy. She also explores the transformation of news into entertainment that began to take place in the early 90s and ultimately led her to create The Daily Show. As Booklist puts it, Winstead "is not only a funny personal essayist. She's also shrewdly observant, linguistically adept, bravely soul-baring, and caustically smart." Currently in the midst of a four-week tour, Winstead has been making national appearances over the course of the last two weeks, on shows including The Rachel Maddow Show and Morning Joe on MSNBC, NPR's "Weekend Edition Saturday" and WBUR'S "On Point" among dozens of other interviews. Winstead has been the subject of features in Bust, Mother Jones, Interview, and Ms., and the book is slated for review in a comedy roundup in today's New York Times.
Amy Einhorn Books Author Stephen Wetta Wins the 2011 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction (to top)
Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam author Stephen Wetta is the winner of the 2011 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction for If Jack's In Love, published in hardcover last September. Wetta will receive $2,500 and be feted at an awards ceremony and celebratory luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in October. Named in honor of Willie Morris, the youngest-ever editor of Harper's and author of a series of nonfiction books, the annual award was founded in 2007. The winning book is chosen for the quality of its prose, its originality, its sense of place and period, and the appeal of its characters. Read an excerpt from If Jack's In Love.
Ted Williams Receives Warm Welcome at Hometown Author Event for Gotham Book A Golden Voice (to top)
Gotham author Ted Williams received a warm welcome home last weekend when he returned to Columbus, Ohio to promote A Golden Voice. After a day packed with appearances on local television and radio shows, he headed over to an event at Barnes and Noble where he spoke to the crowd and signed copies of his book. Ted was all over the national media the last week as well with appearances on the Weekend Today Show and Imus in the Morning. Ted also had a great interview on Huckabee, where Mike Huckabee raved about the book by saying that it "is truly a book of hope and encouragement, and I think people need that message today that no matter how many times and how many ways and how deep one goes, there is a always a latter to get out of that hole…[this] book is a great encouragement to that." Watch our video with Ted Williams talking about his new memoir, and read an excerpt from A Golden Voice.
Mark Mustian's The Gendarme Shortlisted for the 2012 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing (to top) The Gendarme by Mark Mustian (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) has been shortlisted for the 2012 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing in the fiction category. The prize recognizes newly published works of both fiction and nonfiction, and commemorates the life, legacy and intentions of William Saroyan. and honors the Saroyan literary legacy of originality, vitality and stylistic innovation. One winner in each category will be announced this summer and each author will receive a prize of $5,000.
Media Attention for Avery Book The New Rules of Lifting for Life Continues to Grow (to top)
After many years of working in the exercise and nutrition industries, fitness gurus and authors of the Avery New Rules of Liftingseries Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove found themselves not being able to work out at quite the same level as they had in their early years in the business. After forty years of exercising, Lou realized he could no longer do his programs without modifications. Alwyn, a former European champion in tae kwon do and a cancer survivor, found himself with limited endurance and a body that stubbornly refused to add muscle or shed fat. Knowing that their readers must be experiencing the same thing, the authors created a new template for exercise, one that delivers serious results but is also flexible enough to accommodate individual limitations. The New Rules of Lifting for Life: An All-New Muscle-Building, Fat-Blasting Plan for Men and Women Who Want to Ace Their Midlife Exams offers a six-month plan that balances total-body strength, endurance, mobility, balance, coordination, and athleticism. The New Rules of Lifting for Life has been earning tons of media attention over the past few weeks, including mentions in Men's Health, Yahoo! Health, and fitness forums such as Fitnessmash, Results Fitness, and About.com Calorie Count.Yahoo kicked off the new fitness-oriented version of their Post-Game blog with a feature on the book, and then posted it on the Yahoo homepage. In addition to all of this media attention, a strong Pinterest following has emerged with the book being mentioned by many users under such tags as "Books Worth Reading, " "Healthy Living," "Fitness," and "Fitsperation."
Penguin Authors Attract Huge Crowds to Gaithersburg Book Festival (to top)
On May 19 thousands came out to enthusiastically celebrate books at the Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Penguin Sales Representative Trudy Kallman was at the festival and had nothing but positives to report on the event, saying, "It's set up in quaint downtown Gaithersburg with various tents: Fiction, Nonfiction, Mystery, Children's, Author Signing, Book Sales Tent, Panels, Writing workshops, Sponsor Booths, refreshment stands--really wonderful." Hundreds of books were sold, making this a must-go festival for next May. Among the Penguin Group (USA) authors at the event were Eleanor Brown (The Weird Sisters), Alex George (The Good American) and Steve Coll (Private Empire), as well as crowd favorites Stewart O'Nan For more on the Gaithersburg Book Festival, you can visit: www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org.
New on the Penguin Website (to top)  Visit The Author's Desk on Penguin Community!
This week… Read bestselling Prep author Curtis Sittenfeld's interview with Laura Moriarty, author of the upcoming The Chaperone. This week our @penguinusa twitter account reached 300,000 followers. Thanks to everyone who has helped us gain followers and keep on growing! Carly Phillips on what makes a hero. View our Author Archive for past guest author bloggers and posts and see the newest videos, excerpts, and author Q&As in our Digital Digest.
The Employee Advantage (to top)
Every week we present a not-to-be-missed employee store deal of the week. The House at Tyneford is our current Twitter Book Club pick! It's the spring of 1938 and no longer safe to be a Jew in Vienna. Nineteen-year-old Elise Landau is forced to leave her glittering life to become a parlor maid in England. She arrives at Tyneford, the great house on the bay, where servants polish silver and serve drinks on the lawn. But war is coming, and the world is changing. When the master of Tyneford's young son, Kit, returns home, he and Elise strike up an unlikely friendship that will transform Tyneford--and Elise--forever. Get your copy of The House at Tyneford at the employee price of $6.00 (orig. $15.00), here. Find a video and excerpt at the link. To join in the discussion on Twitter, follow hashtag #readpenguin. Also, check out what top sellers your colleagues are buying this week.
New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of June 3 (to top)
Penguin Group (USA) has four debuts on The New York Times bestseller lists for the week of June 3. Stolen Prey by John Sandford (Putnam) debuts at #1 on the hardcover fiction list, at #4 on the print hardcover & paperback (combined) fiction list, at #4 on the eBooks fiction list, and at #4 on the combined print & eBook fiction list. The Art of Intelligence by Henry A. Crumpton (The Penguin Press) debuts at #3 on the hardcover nonfiction list, at #4 on the print hardcover & paperback (combined) nonfiction list, at #3 on the eBooks nonfiction list, and at #2 on the combined print & eBook nonfiction list. The Reinventors by Jason Jennings (Portfolio) debuts at #10 on the advice, how-to and miscellaneous hardcover list. And Theodore Boone: The Accused (Dutton Juvenile) debuts at #3 on the children's series list.
Here are more of this week's New York Times bestseller highlights: On the hardcover fiction list, Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #3 in its third week, The Witness by Nora Roberts (Putnam) is #11 in its fifth week, and Robert Parker's Lullaby by Ace Atkins (Putnam) is #16 in its third week. On the trade paperback fiction list, The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts is #4 in its third week, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Berkley) is #10 in its 59th week, and Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin) is #17 in its fourth week. On the trade paperback nonfiction list, Moonwalking With Einstein by Joshua Foer (Penguin) is #9 in its twelfth week, The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson (Riverhead) is #14 in its second week, and Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams (Plume) is #18 in its second week. On the mass market fiction list, Buried Prey by John Sandford is #3 in its third week, Vision in White by Nora Roberts (Jove) is #6 in its third week, and Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts (Jove) is #12 in its seventh week. On the children's chapter books list, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Dutton) is #3 in its nineteenth week and The Invaders by John Flanagan (Philomel) is #8 in its third week. On the children's picture book list, Ladybug Girl and Bingo by David Soman and Jacky Davis (Dial) is #9 in its third week.
On the children's paperback list, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (Speak) is #4 in its seventh week, Matched by Allie Condie (Speak) is #6 in its 35th week and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Razorbill) is #10 in its 47th week. On the children's series list, Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham (Puffin) is #3. On the print hardcover & paperback (combined) fiction list, The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts is #7, Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris is #8, Buried Prey by John Sandford is #17, The Witness by Nora Roberts is #24, Vision in White by Nora Roberts is #26, and The Help by Kathryn Stockett is #30. On the print hardcover & paperback (combined) nonfiction list, The First 20 Minutes by Gretchen Reynolds is #20 and Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson is #24.
On the eBook fiction list, The Witness by Nora Roberts (Putnam) is #11 in its fifth week, The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (Berkley) is #12 in its third week, Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #14 in its third week, and The Next Always by Nora Roberts (Berkley) is #23 in its eleventh week. On the eBook nonfiction list, Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #6 in its fifth week. On the combined print and eBook fiction list, The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (Berkley) is #9 in its third week, Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #10 in its third week, and The Witness by Nora Roberts (Putnam) is #13 in its fifth week. On the combined print and eBook nonfiction list, Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #13 in its fifth week.
New Next Week (to top) The Watchers by Jon Steele (Blue Rider Press, 5/29)
Jon Steele's The Watchers goes on sale Tuesday, May 29, amid online buzz and great trade reviews. Booklist gave The Watchers a starred review, calling it "lavishly atmospheric, witty, bloody, and swashbuckling, " while Publishers Weekly deemed it an "imaginative metaphysical thriller." With upcoming author guest blog posts for Powell's and Poisoned Pen, an author Q+A for Book Page, and over two dozen blog reviews confirmed, Steele's debut novel will be getting plenty of pickup across the internet next week. Be the 4000th Facebook fan! Visit: www.facebook.com/TheWatchers.AngelusTrilogy. Read an excerpt from The Watchers.
We welcome your comments, ideas, and contributions! Please email Corporate Communications at spotlight@us.penguingroup.com
© 2012 Penguin Group (USA)
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(The Odds, Emily Alone) — O'Nan pictured with sales rep Trudy Kallman — and Jenny Lawson (Let's Pretend This Never Happened), who was greeted with a "screaming ovation." After Lawson's talk, hundreds followed to the signing tent, many of whom had gifts to give to the author/blogger made famous for her website TheBloggess.com
