(View entire post here)

Penguin Canada Takes Home Four Canadian Booksellers Awards

Penguin Group (Canada) followed up its 2008 Publisher of the Year win with four CBA Libris Awards from the Canadian Booksellers’ Association in 2009, including two awards for Joseph Boyden, who is published in the U.S. by Viking/Penguin.

• Marketing Achievement of the Year, for “Extraordinary Canadians,” biographies that re-imagine Canada’s most influential historical figures from the fresh new perspective of bestselling writers such as Joseph Boyden, Douglas Coupland and Vincent Lam;
• Sales Representative of the Year, to Adrienne Kerr, Penguin Canada Sales representative for Southwest Ontario;
• and a double win for Joseph Boyden, whose critically acclaimed Through Black Spruce (published in the US by Viking) won the Fiction Book of the Year Award, and whose outstanding literary work, contribution to Canadian culture, and support to the bookselling industry translated into an Author of the Year Award.

Boyden’s biography of Métis leaders Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont will be published as part of Penguin Canada’s Extraordinary Canadians series in March 2010. The series is also the subject of an upcoming 12-part documentary television series on OMNI and The Biography Channel; news on author events and upcoming titles can be found here.

(View entire post here)

Greg Mortenson Honored by National Education Association

On July 2nd, the National Education Association (NEA) will honor Viking/Penguin author Greg Mortenson with the Mary Hatwood Futrell Award, a special Human and Civil Rights Award, at the NEA’s annual meeting in San Diego, California. The NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards program honors individuals and organizations that promote peace and advance social and economic justice for all people. The Mary Hatwood Futrell Award is given to a nominee whose activities make a significant impact on education and on the achievement of equal opportunity for women and girls.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Cups of Tea has also received Pakistan’s highest civil award, Sitara-e-Pakistan (“The Star of Pakistan”) for his efforts to promote education and literacy and is also a nominee for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Concerning Three Cups of Tea, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel stated, “Every student in America’s public schools should receive a copy to learn firsthand what one person can truly do to make a difference in the world.”

Explore the reading group guide for Three Cups of Tea.
 

(View entire post here)

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of June 14th

Five new Penguin Group (USA) titles debut on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of June 14th: on the trade paperback fiction list, The Likeness by Tana French (Penguin) is #13, while The Beach House by Jane Green (Plume) is #16; on the mass market fiction list, The Front by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) appears at #13, while Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton (Jove) hits at #19. Finally, My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor (Plume) is #5 on the paperback nonfiction list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, Wicked Prey by John Sandford (Putnam) is #3 in its third week; Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #6 in its fourth week; The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #11 in its ninth week; and The Sign by Raymond Khoury (Dutton) is #14 in its second week.

 (View entire post here)

Penguin Group (USA) Generates Big Buzz at BEA 2009 

Expanding on last week's Spotlight coverage, Penguin Group (USA) had a strong presence at BookExpo America 2009, held this past weekend at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. The Penguin Group (USA) BEA booth, which included blow-ups promoting many of the house's big fall titles, was constantly buzzing with activity, as booksellers, librarians and members of the press flowed through and lingered.  On Friday morning, lines wrapped around the Penguin booth to get a signed galley of Level 26 from Dutton author Anthony Zuiker while a powerful and chilling video preview of his "digi-novel" played on a 50-inch plasma TV screen. Friday afternoon, Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson (pictured here with Viking publisher Paul Slovak) drew a huge crowd and signed adult and young readers editions for an endless line of BEA attendees.  Other galley giveaways in the Penguin booth included the highly anticipated Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (Riverhead), Lev Grossman's The Magicians (Viking) and Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You (Dutton) - which got a double-dose of attention as Dutton Senior Editor Ben Sevier touted the title at the BEA Editors Buzz Forum, then the author participated in the Authors of the Editors Buzz Forum reading and discussion. Riverhead author Steven Johnson, Viking author Lev Grossman and Penguin Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher Stephen Morrison also were part of fascinating BEA panels on Friday.

The high-profile Saturday BEA Book & Author Luncheon was very much a Penguin Group affair. The lunch began with Penguin Group (USA) sales rep Tom Benton receiving the Publishers Weekly Sales Rep of the Year Award, with his family, Penguin colleagues, and more than 600 booksellers, librarians, media and publishing professionals applauding this well-deserved honor. Luncheon Master of Ceremonies Ken Auletta gave a sneak preview of this upcoming Penguin Press book, Googled: The End of the World as We Know It, then Dan Pink talked about the stories behind his next Riverhead book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Truly Motivates Us. And while Mary Karr concentrated mostly on her upcoming HarperCollins book, Lit, she also referenced two of her acclaimed backlist titles, The Liars Club and Cherry, both of which Penguin publishes.

David Shanks and Susan Petersen Kennedy spent a great deal of time on Friday and Saturday meeting with the press corps, which resulted in Penguin Group (USA) being prominently positioned in key stories on BEA in USA Today, The New York Times, The Associated Press, Reuters, Publishers Weekly, Publishers Lunch, and other publications.

 

(View entire post here)

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of June 7th 

 (View this week's bestseller lists for fiction, nonfiction, and young readers on Penguin.com)

Two new Penguin Group (USA) titles debut on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of June 7th: The Sign by Raymond Khoury (Dutton) hits at #9 on the hardcover fiction list; and Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker (Philomel) appears at #10 on the children's chapter books list. In addition, Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (Speak) hits #1 in its second week on the children's paperback list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, Wicked Prey by John Sandford (Putnam) is #2 in its second week; Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #4 in its third week; and The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #11 in its eighth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham) is #4 in its fifth week.

(View entire post here)

Strong Presence for Penguin Group (USA) at BookExpo America 2009 Breakthrough Novel Award 

 

BookExpo America 2009 is being held this weekend at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City and Penguin Group (USA) once again has a strong presence at the event. Yesterday, The AAP Librarian's Dinner was packed with librarians from all across the country and featured Kathryn Stockett, author of the debut Putnam novel, The Help, and five other authors talking about their favorite "librarian stories" and how libraries helped shape their careers as writers. The Editors Buzz Forum, an SRO event, featured Dutton Senior Editor, Ben Sevier and five other editors talking about the stories behind their "buzz books." Ben had the room enthralled speaking about Jonathan Tropper's upcoming Dutton novel, This Is Where I Leave You. In addition, Viking/Penguin's Greg Mortenson was featured at an off-site event at the 92nd St. Y.

Among the many Penguin authors who will do autographings this weekend, is Dutton's Anthony Zuiker, who is currently in the Penguin booth signing copies of his upcoming "digi-novel" Level 26: The Dark Chronicles to a large crowd that has turned out, while a chilling and exciting sample reel of corresponding motion picture footage plays on a plasma screen.

Other highlights include the Saturday luncheon, which will feature Dan Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Truly Motivates Us (Riverhead Books); and Mary Karr, author of The Liars Club, which Penguin publishes. Ken Auletta, author of Googled: The End of the World as We Know It (The Penguin Press), will be the Master of Ceremonies. Penguin Group (USA) sales rep Tom Benton will be attending to accept his Publishers Weekly Sales Rep of the Year Award. In addition, Penguin Young Readers' Tomie de Paola, author of Strega Nona's Harvest will be featured in tomorrow's CBC Breakfast, and Penguin Young Readers Group author Mike Lupica, nationally syndicated sports columnist, will participate in the "The ABC Not a Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction" event in Brooklyn tonight.

To receive up-to-the-minute information about Penguin Group (USA) and BEA, be sure to follow on Twitter.

 

(View entire post here)

T.C. Boyle Is Inducted into Prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters

Viking/ Penguin author T.C. Boyle was officially inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters at the annual Ceremonial in New York this past Monday. Members and award winners gathered onstage in the Academy's landmark auditorium to formally acknowledge new members to this prestigious group of 125 noted people in literature.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters is an honor society of 250 architects, composers, artists, and writers. Members of the Academy are elected for life. As vacancies occur, the Academicians nominate and elect new members. The honor of election is considered the highest formal recognition of artistic merit in the United States. Only Academicians may nominate and elect new members.

Other Penguin authors that have earned the distinction as being part of this exclusive group include Garrison Keillor, John Ashbery, Paul Auster, and Don DeLillo.

Browse through all of T.C. Boyle’s Penguin titles here.

(View entire post here)

John Sandford’s Wicked Prey Debuts at #1 on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List

Wicked Prey by John Sandford, which G.P. Putnam’s Sons published on May 12th, hits #1 on The New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list for May 31st. This novel, the nineteenth in Sandford's bestselling Prey series, is set in Minneapolis-St. Paul against the backdrop of the Republican National Convention, and Sandford's protagonist, the lovably flawed and complex Lucas Davenport, must outsmart a whole new set of vicious criminals. A front page feature about John Sandford in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Arts section, on Sunday, May 10th, captured the author's extraordinarily eclectic interests. Reporter Kristin Tillotson described the writing room in John's home: "a beautifully restored library, taken from an old mansion and re-created in a cabin attached to Camp's home on the St. Croix River, a 25-minute drive from St. Paul. The walls are lined with an impressive collection of art, history and archaeology books. A photo of the artist Piet Mondrian hangs to the right of his work space, a Cartier-Bresson in the adjacent hall. Then, there's the snapshot of three hunters standing over a huge slain moose in the snow, tacked up carelessly above his Mac."

Sandford kicked off his tour for Wicked Prey with standing-room-only events in Minneapolis-St. Paul, as well as talks and signings in Phoenix, San Diego, Chicago, Milwaukee and Los Angeles.

(View entire post here)

New on the Penguin Website

Street Fighters: The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street by Kate Kelly is the definitive account of a once-great firm's demise, and the human folly that led to the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. Read an excerpt here.

 

In this week’s Penguin Podcast, children’s author Barbara Joosse, illustrator Jan Jutte and editor Patty Gauch discuss how their collaboration on the new picture book ROAWR! came about, and why it’s okay for little boys to be a little bearish at times.

Also, listen as Barbara Josse reads the full story in this special podcast reading of Roawr!.

Next week, Ira Rosofsky will discuss his book based on his experiences working in the eldercare industry, his coming of old-age story, Nasty, Brutish, and Long.

Read Ira’s recent blog posts here.

(View entire post here)

Teachers Wild about Penguin Books and Authors at 2009 IRA Conference 

The International Reading Association (IRA) North Central Conference was held last week in Minneapolis, MN. The Penguin Young Readers Group booth was constantly flooded with enthusiastic and energetic educators, curriculum directors, principals and reading specialists who were excited to learn more about Penguin Young Readers books and to pick up the many freebies offered for giveaway. Thousands of attendees took home galleys and f&gs of summer and fall titles and were buzzing in particular about Skippyjon Jones Lost in Space by Judy Schachner, January’s Sparrow by Patricia Polacco, Otis by Loren Long, A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck, Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko, Hold Still by Nina LaCour, and Fire by Kristin Cashore. Other popular items distributed were a free teacher’s edition bind-up of Richard Peck’s Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago and Newbery Medal-winning A Year Down Yonder and classroom guides to books by Mike Lupica and the Ranger’s Apprentice series.