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Nora Roberts’ Vision in White Grabs #1 New York Times Trade Paperback Fiction Bestseller Position, which The Shack Had Previously Held for Nearly a Year

World-class #1 bestselling author Nora Roberts demonstrates the power of her vast readership as her newest Berkley book, Vision in White, debuts at #1 on The New York Times trade paperback fiction bestseller list for the week of May 17th, knocking The Shack from that position, which it had previously held for 49 consecutive weeks. No other author had been able to dislodge The Shack until Nora did it with Vision in White, Book One in the Bride Quartet series. Over 940,000 copies of Vision in White have been shipped to date.

This represents Nora’s second #1 New York Times bestseller in less than a month. The Jove edition of Tribute was #1 on the mass market paperback fiction bestseller list for the weeks of April 26th and May 3rd.

Congratulations to the entire paperback division for this great achievement!
 

Penguin Group (USA) Achieves Four #1 New York Times Bestsellers as Paperback Division Sweeps Three Top Spots on the Trade Fiction, Mass Market Fiction and Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller Lists

Penguin Group (USA) achieves four #1 New York Times bestsellers simultaneously for the week of May 17th – the third time the corporation has accomplished this feat in 2009. The paperback division leads the way, sweeping the #1 positions on three New York Times paperback bestseller lists. Vision in White by Nora Roberts (Berkley) debuts at #1 on the trade fiction bestseller list, as The Shack is knocked out of that position for the first time in 2009. Burning Wild by Christine Feehan (Jove) debuts at #1 on the mass market fiction bestseller list. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) holds at #1 on the nonfiction paperback bestseller list, its 11th week at #1 this year and 118 weeks on that list overall. In addition, NAL’s J.R. Ward debuts at #2 on the hardcover fiction list, with her newest installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover Avenged.

This latest bestseller accomplishment follows three Berkley/NAL books hitting the #1 slot on The New York Times bestseller lists at the end of April. For the week of April 26th, Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (Roc) debuted at #1 on the hardcover fiction list and Tribute by Nora Roberts (Jove) hit #1 on the mass market paperback list. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris (Ace) debuted at #1, also on the mass market paperback list, for the week of April 19th.

This high level of performance is part of paperback’s ongoing success story this year. With 62 overall paperback bestsellers in 2009 to date, the division is up 26% over 2008 in paperback bestsellers through this week.

Penguin Group (USA)’s #1 New York Times bestseller story also features Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth (Dial), which is #1 on the children’s picture book bestseller list, with 15 weeks on that list.
 

Penguin Young Readers Group Celebrates Eight Titles on This Week’s New York Times Bestseller List

This week marks the second week this year that the Penguin Young Readers group has achieved an impressive eight titles on the New York Times bestseller lists. On the picture book list: Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth remains at #1 in its 15th week, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is #5 in its 7th week, Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney debuts at #6, Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis is #7 in its 9th week. On the chapter book list: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is #4 in its 28th week and If I Stay by Gayle Forman is #8 in its 3rd week. On the paperback list: Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition by Greg Mortenson is #2 in its 15th week and Just Listen by Sarah Dessen is #8 in its 26th week.
 

Inside the Continuing Rise of The Help – A Great Debut Novel Hardcover Success Story

Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel, The Help (Amy Einhorn Books/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons), has reached #11 on The New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list, its highest position after six weeks on that list. The book’s popularity continues to rise as it just crossed the 100,000 shipped mark after 13 printings. This is a great debut novel hardcover success story.

The Help was an early in-house favorite, with enthusiasm from publicity, marketing, managing editorial, and sales at the outset, when the manuscript was circulated. Sales reps began speaking with their accounts and pressing the work into their buyers’ hands, while publicity urged book review editors to crack the spine and take a chance – and our faith in author Kathryn Stockett’s work paid off: no sooner was the book published than rave reviews and reports of hand-selling began pouring in from all sides. The book was included in the IndieNext List for February, it was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, and a Book of the Month Club Main Selection.

At publication, Southern bookstores in particular, and many in other parts of the country, spontaneously created displays of The Help for front windows and store entrances, and splashy reviews appeared in People magazine, USA Today, The New York Times (daily edition), The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping and Entertainment Weekly. Kathryn toured to 18 bookstores across the country, many including her friend and actress Octavia Spenser, who read the part of “Minnie” to delighted crowds. No one could miss this book, which was passed hand-to-hand and was featured in a summer reading segment on NBC’s “Today Show.” An Associated Press reporter wrote a feature on the author and the book’s reception in the town where the novel is set, Jackson, Mississippi.

Book groups are now lining up to buy, read and discuss The Help. Publicity has scheduled 25 book club phone conversations with the author to date, and Kathryn has been getting requests for appearances into 2010. Her novel has been made a county-wide read in North Carolina’s Monroe Country, and a city-wide book group read in Charlotte. The Help has also been selected for a Freshman Year Experience program at a Georgia university. The library market has embraced The Help as well, and has invited Kathryn to speak at the ALA Librarians’ Dinner at BEA at the end of this month.

Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to this ongoing great success story!

The Girls from Ames Rises to #3 on The New York Times Bestseller List

Gotham’s The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow climbed to the #3 spot on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list this week (after debuting at #5 last week). It was also #23 on USA Today’s bestseller list (up from #35 last week). Other new bestseller lists it appeared on this week include NEIBA Nonfiction List #8 (May 3) and PNBA Nonfiction Bestseller list #13 (May 6).

Borders sent out their third Shortlist e-mail on the book this week. Check out the video with the Girls here.
 

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of May 17th 

Seven new Penguin Group (USA) titles debut on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of May 17th: Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (NAL) hits at #2 on the hardcover fiction list; Vision in White by Nora Roberts (Berkley) is #1 on the trade paperback fiction list; on the mass market fiction list, Burning Wild by Christine Feehan (Jove) is #1, The Lost Fleet: Relentless by Jack Campbell (Ace) is #16, and Till There Was You by Lynn Kurland (Jove) is #19. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Penguin) appears at #3 on the paperback nonfiction list; and Llama Llama Misses Mama, written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney (Viking) is #6 on the children's picture books list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, Loitering with Intent by Stuart Woods (Putnam) is #7 in its second week; The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn/ Putnam) is #11 in its sixth week; and Long Lost by Harlan Coben (Dutton) is #13 in its fifth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham) rises to #3 in its second week.

On the trade paperback fiction list, City of Thieves by David Benioff (Plume) is #3 in its fifth week; People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin) is #15 in its eighteenth week; and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Riverhead) is #19 in its 33rd week.

On the mass market fiction list, Tribute by Nora Roberts is #17 in its fifth week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) holds the #1 slot in its 118th week; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) is #9 in its 119th week; The Soloist by Steve Lopez (Berkley) is #10 in its seventh week; The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #15 in its 85th week; and Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut (Berkley) is #20 in its third week.

In the young readers sector, on the children's picture books list, Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth (Dial) is #1 in its fifteenth week; The Very Hungry Caterpillar written and illustrated by Eric Carle (Philomel) is #5 in its seventh week; and Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis (Dial) is #7 in its ninth week. On the children's chapter books list, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Razorbill) is #4 in its 28th week; and If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Dutton) is #8 in its third week. On the children's paperback books list, Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Puffin) is #5 in its fourteenth week; and Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (Speak) returns to the list at #8 in its 26th week.
 

Penguin Weekly Update, Bestsellers, New York Times, Penguin Books