Penguin Group (USA) Weekly Update - 3/31:

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The Penguin Press Publishes Highly Anticipated Wolf Totem (to top)

Last November, retired Beijing professor Jiang Rong's extraordinary debut novel won the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize - an award sponsored by The Man Group, which aims to recognize the best of new Asian literature and to bring it to the attention of the world literary community. The Penguin Press shares the Man Group's eagerness to introduce this remarkable novel to the world, and is proud to publish Jiang's Wolf Totem. Already a bestseller in its native China, Wolf Totem has broken all sales records there, selling at least one million copies in the first year alone - along with 6 million black market copies - and earning the distinction of being the 2nd most read book in China after Mao's little red book. There is much international excitement, too - to date, rights have been sold in 14 countries. The publication of Wolf Totem is an international event across Penguin Group, with Penguin UK and Penguin Australia publishing simultaneously with The Penguin Press, and Penguin Group also publishing Wolf Totem in South Africa and India.

Set in 1960s China, on the eve of the Cultural Revolution, Wolf Totem tells the story of Chen Zen, a Beijing intellectual who volunteers to live in a remote settlement on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, where he lives among the Mongols, a proud and ancient race of people whose lives are built around their religion - a kind of cult of the wolf. At the core of their belief is the notion of a triangular balance between the earth, wolf, and man, whose fates are all intricately linked. Chen Zhen becomes fascinated with Mongol life, and when he kidnaps a wolf pup to raise it himself secretly, his scholarly interest in the wolf blossoms into full-fledged obsession. After many years living in solitude with the nomads and the wolves, the peace is shattered with the arrival of the Han Chinese, who launch a campaign to exterminate the wolves. Once the age-old balance is disrupted, it sends the Mongols' way of life into a spiral that leads inevitably to extinction: the extinction of a species, and the extinction of a culture that was built around tending to it.

Jiang's timely, elegant allegory is a stinging social commentary, and a stirring admonition against the dangers of China's overaccelerated economic growth. A haunting, beautifully rendered novel, Wolf Totem is sure to be one of the most talked about debuts of the year.

We have seen early reviews of Wolf Totem in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times, with much more to come including reviews in the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, Seattle Times, National Geographic Traveler online, and national radio reviews on NPR's "All Things Considered" (click here after 7pm tonight to hear the broadcast) and WGBH's "The World."

Three Books from Penguin Group (USA) Chosen as NYPL's "Books to Remember"

Three books from Penguin Group (USA) have been selected for inclusion in The New York Public Library's "Books to Remember from 2007." The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Riverhead), Cheating at Canasta: Stories by William Trevor (Viking) and Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan (Viking) have been chosen for list, an annual compilation of 25 outstanding titles, which are selected by a committee of librarians from The New York Public Library.

The authors will be honored at the 52nd Annual "Books to Remember" program, held on Friday, April 4th, at the Celeste Bartos Forum.

Three Authors from Penguin Group (USA) are Nominated for James Beard Foundation Awards

Three authors from Penguin Group (USA) have been selected as nominees for this year's James Beard Foundation Awards. Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking by Morimoto (DK) was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award in the "Cooking from a Professional Point of View" category. In addition, The House of Mondavi by Julia Flynn Siler (Gotham) and Imbibe! by David Wondrich (Perigee) were nominated in the "Wines and Spirits" category.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are the highest honors for food and beverage professionals working in America. Established in 1990, the awards are a program of the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate, nurture, and preserve America's culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate our appreciation of the culinary arts. The winners will be announced on June 8th at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

In addition to the three DK books we highlighted last week, Penguin Group (USA) has four other titles nominated for the The IACP Cookbook Awards:

• Discover Chocolate by Clay Gordon (Gotham) in the Food Reference/Technical category
• Julia Child by Laura Shapiro (Viking) in the Literary Food Writing category
• The Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg (Gotham) in the Literary Food Writing category
• Imbibe! by David Wondrich (Perigee) in the Wine, Beer or Spirits category.

The winners will be announced on April 18th at the annual IACP conference in New Orleans.

Previous nominee Charles Stross earns a "Best Novel" nomination for his highly-acclaimed near-future techno thriller, Halting State. In this cutting-edge novel, Stross melds his signature high-tech fiction with the mega-popular world of virtual reality online gaming. It's particularly fitting that his editor, Ginjer Buchanan, also takes home a nomination in the "Best Professional Editor, Long Form" category. Besides editing the work of Charles Stross, Buchanan edits the talent of bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Jack McDevitt, Allen Steele, E.E. Knight, S.M. Stirling, Simon R. Green, in her role as Editor-in-Chief, Ace/Roc Books. This is her second nomination in this category. The prestigious Hugo Award is a science fiction achievement award given annually by the World Science Fiction Society. This year's award ceremony will be held in Denver, CO, on August 9th.

NBC has based a new miniseries based off Raymond Khoury's bestselling debut novel, The Last Templar (Dutton/Signet). This epic adventure is about four horsemen dressed as Knights Templar that storm the Metropolitan Museum and steal a medieval artifact. A FBI agent and an archeologist embark on a race across three continents in search of the relic and its hidden secrets.

It will star Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino who is best known for her working in telepic "Human Trafficking" and "The Great Gatsby." The miniseries will also be called "The Last Templar." Shooting begins April in Montreal and Morocco, an airdate is set for later this year. Based off a script by Raymond Khoury and Suzette Couture, this series is being directed by Paolo Barzman.

Bestselling Gotham author of You're Broke Because You Want to Be and It's Called Work for a Reason, Larry Winget was all over television this week. On Monday, March 24th, Larry made appearances on "The Today Show," "Fox Business with Liz Claman and David Asman" and Fox News Channel's "Neil Cavuto" giving financial advice and promoting his most recent book, You're Broke Because You Want to Be. The book was #1 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list and made its mark on a slew of other bestseller lists, including the New York Times Extended List, New York Times Business, The Boston Globe and BusinessWeek. If you missed Larry on television this week, be sure to look out for him in his new national Hyundai commercial.

Announced last week, Christianity Today has recognized Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon (Viking) with a Christianity Today Award of Merit for 2008. The book is one of five titles named in the fiction category. Karon's Home to Holly Springs debuted on The New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list last November, and spent eight weeks on the list.

Noted in Wednesday's PW Daily, Universal has optioned the rights to Laura Dave's new novel The Divorce Party, which is due out from Viking in May. Hollywood agent Sylvie Rabineau has brokered the deal with Echo Films, Jennifer Aniston and Kristin Hahn's new production company. Gwyn Lurie, who adapted Dave's debut novel, London Is the Best City In America for Reese Witherspoon, will again be on board as the screenwriter.

Perigee's Green, Greener, Greenest by Lori Bongiorno is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to do their part to protect the environment, but doesn't quite know where to start. Bongiorno offers flexible tips for everyday life and lets readers choose the advice that fits their schedule, their budget, and their interests. She shows how to start small with "green" options that don't require any extra time or money. Readers who want to commit to doing more can take on "greener" or "greenest" challenges. Penguin Press author Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food) praises Green, Greener, Greenest, calling it "comprehensive and convincing but also sane and realistic." Pollan's not the only one who sees that Bongiorno is onto something with her innovative approach - media coverage includes features in Outside Magazine, Real Simple, More, and Women's Health. Bongiorno will also appear on the Weather Channel's "Forecast Earth" next month. Upcoming events include an Earth Day signing in New York and a panel appearance at BEA in Los Angeles.

New on the Penguin Website

Listen to and read excerpts from five of Viking's most exciting new titles for 2008. Check out Flights of Fiction.

Tune in this week as Steve Coll joins us to discuss his new book, The Bin Ladens. He'll discuss the compelling story of the family beyond Osama.

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of March 16th

Penguin Group (USA) has three new debuts on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of April 6th: Black Widow by Randy Wayne White (G. P. Putnam's Sons) hits at #10 on the hardcover fiction list; Common Wealth by Jeffrey D. Sachs (The Penguin Press) appears at #11 on the nonfiction list; and Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis and David Soman (Dial) is #10 on the children's picture book list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights for the week of April 6th:

On the hardcover fiction list, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) moves up to #7 in its 44th week; and World Without End by Ken Follett (Dutton) is #13 in its 24th week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (The Penguin Press) holds at #4 in its twelfth week; and The Reason For God by Timothy Keller (Dutton) is #8 in its fifth week.

On the trade paperback fiction list, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (Berkley) holds at #4 in its twelfth week; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) is #5 in its 159th week; The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (NAL) is #6 in its nineteenth week; and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin) moves up to #9 in its 92nd week.

On the mass market paperback fiction list, Sacred Stone by Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo (Berkley) is #4 in its tenth week; High Profile by Robert B. Parker (Berkley) is #8 in its third week; Predatory Game by Christine Feehan (Jove) is at #13 in its fourth week; Tom Clancy's Endwar by David Michaels (Berkley) is #15 in its sixth week; Thigh High by Christina Dodd (Signet) is #16 in its third week; Dry Ice by Stephen White (Signet) is #19 in its second week; and The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson (Jove) returns to the list at #20 in its sixth week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) holds in the #1 position in its 61st week; Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) follows right behind at #2 in its 60th week; The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is at #13 in its 30th week; Grace (Eventually) is #17 in its fourth week; and The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge (Penguin) is at #18 in its third week.

On the advice, how-to, and miscellaneous paperback list, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle (Plume) holds at #1 in its eighth week; and Getting Things Done by David Allen (Penguin) holds at #7 in its ninteenth week.

In the young readers sector, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (Speak) rises to #2 on the children's paperback list; and The Big Field by Mike Lupica (Philomel) is #3 in its third week on the children's chapter books list. Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan (Philomel, hardcover and paperback) returns to the children's series list at #3 in its 14th week; and The Alex Rider Adventures by Anthony Horowitz (Philomel/Speak, hardcover and paperback) holds #10 in its 54th week on that same list.

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