Penguin Group (USA) Weekly Update - 10/22

(View entire post here)

Penguin Group (USA) Holds Three #1 Slots on The New York Times Bestseller List

For the week of October 28th, Penguin Group (USA) has once again managed to secure three #1 slots simultaneously on The New York Times bestseller list. World Without End by Ken Follett (Dutton) debuts at #1 on the hardcover fiction list; The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is first on the children's picture book list, for the second week in a row; and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert continues to reign at #1 on The New York Times nonfiction paperback bestseller list for 21 straight weeks, 38 weeks overall. The impact of Gilbert's October 5th appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is still being felt. USA Today reported that Eat, Pray, Love is currently outselling Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (the latest Oprah Book Club pick) four to one. More than 2.5 million copies of Eat, Pray, Love have been shipped to date, with more than 575,000 shipped so far in October alone.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a Finalist for the 2007 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Riverhead) has been named a finalist for the 2007 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. The judges comment: "Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss."

The Sargent Prize was created by the Mercantile Library Center as part of its mission to promote the art of fiction in the United States, in recognition of John Sargent Sr.'s lifetime of reading and distinguished work as President and CEO of Doubleday and Company for many years. The winner will be announced at an awards dinner on October 29th at the New York Racquet and Tennis Center. Last year, Marisha Pessl won the prize for her Viking Penguin novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

Booklist Names Gotham's How Starbucks Saved My Life One of the Top Ten Business Books of 2007

How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill (Gotham) has been honored by Booklist as one of the Top Ten business books of 2007, making the title worthy of inclusion in any public library business collection.

The author adds twists to the likely contents of a conventional business memoir. Born a son of privilege, advertising executive of a prestigious company, Gill lost it all at the age of 63. He finds solace at local Starbucks and surprisingly a whole new life — trading in his six-figure salary for a mop and a green apron, taking an unlikely career move as a Starbucks barista.

Gill's memoir has been receiving great media in the past couple of weeks and his story continues to infiltrate America. It made The New York Times Bestseller Extended List two weeks in a row, debuting at #22 on October 14th.

Penguin Young Readers Group Author Jan Brett Rides to the Top of New York Times Bestseller List and Across the US on a Wildly Successful Bus Tour

That Jan Brett's latest book, The Three Snow Bears (G.P. Putnam's Sons), has been #1 on The New York Times children's picture books bestseller list for the past two weeks and four weeks on the list overall is yet another high point in what continues to be a stellar career. Brett has had 10 New York Times bestselling titles, four of which have gone to the #1 slot. Long before there were separate New York Times Children's bestseller lists, Jan Brett was one of the few children's authors/illustrators to appear on the general list and at times rank above brand name bestselling adult authors.

Jan is now in the midst of a tremendous tour for The Three Snow Bears, a twist on the Goldilocks tale that took her to the Canadian Arctic for research. Currently, she is traveling across the country in a tour bus wrapped in the artwork from her latest title. The tour started last Friday and she has been greeted by huge crowds at every event. About 1,000 people came to see Jan at Wegmans in Syracuse, NY and all of her other events have averaged between 300 and 500 people. For a full listing of all of her tour stops, please visit this page.

With over 33 million books in print, Jan Brett continues to be one of America's most popular and beloved children's book creators. She was awarded the Boston Public Library's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Her books have been chosen as "Best Children's Books of the Year" by Newsweek, The New Yorker, Parents magazine, and Redbook.

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of October 28th

Four new debuts for Penguin Group (USA) on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of October 28th: World Without End by Ken Follett (Dutton) hits at #1 on the hardcover fiction list; Fatal Revenant by Stephen Donaldson (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is at #12, also on the hardcover fiction list; The Mist by Stephen King (Signet) is at #16 on the mass market paperback fiction list; and The Pillars of the Earth also by Ken Follett debuts at #19 on that same list.

Here are more bestseller highlights for the week of October 28th:

On the hardcover fiction list, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) is at #4 in its twenty-first week; Dark of the Moon by John Sandford (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is #5 in its second week; Shoot Him If He Runs by Stuart Woods (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is at #9 in its third week; and Dead Heat by Dick Francis and Felix Francis (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is at #13 in its fourth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan (Penguin Press) is #4 in its fourth week, and Louder than Words by Jenny McCarthy (Dutton) is at #9, also in its fourth week.

On the trade paperback fiction list, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) holds at #3 in its 136th week; and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin) is at #4 in its 69th week.

On the mass-market paperback fiction list, Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward (Signet) is at #10 in its third week; while Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan (Jove) is at #18, also in its third week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) extends its run at #1 to 21 weeks in a row in its 38th overall week; Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) moves up to #4 in its 37th week; The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) rises to #7 in its seventh; and This is Your Brain On Music by Daniel J. Levitin (Plume) holds at #17, in its sixth week.

On the advice, how-to and miscellaneous paperback list, Getting Things Done by David Allen (Penguin) is at #8 in its fifth week.

In the young readers sector, Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett (Putnam) holds in the #1 position in its fourth week on the children's picture book list; Llama Llama Mad at Mama written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney (Viking) moves up to #6 in its fourth week; Cowboy and Octopus by Jon Scieszka illustrated by Lane Smith (Viking) is at #8 in its sixth week; and Toy Boat by Randall de Seve, illustrated by Loren Long is at #10 in its second week. On the children's paperback list, We're Off to Find the Witch's House by Mr. Kreib, illustrated by R.W. Alley (Puffin) holds at #8 in its fourth week; while The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (Speak) rises to #9 in its fifth week on that same list. Finally, Redwall by Brian Jacques (Philomel, hardcover and paperback) is at #5 in the children's series list in its 43rd week.

Penguin books, publishing, bestsellers, literary awards