Penguin Group (USA) Weekly Update - 2/5

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For the First Time Ever, Readers Around the World Will Be Able to Participate in a Free, Live Interactive Classroom Discussion, Led by Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle, Author of A New Earth, Oprah Winfrey's New Book Club Selection

For the first time ever, readers around the world will be able to participate in a free, live interactive classroom discussion, led by Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Tolle. Each weekly class will correspond to a chapter from A New Earth, with the discussion focusing on the chapter's themes. The 10 weekly sessions will be webcast every Monday night from March 3 through May 5, at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT. To pre-register for the online seminar, log onto www.oprah.com/anewearth.

Published in 2005, A New Earth encourages a collective sense of commitment to changing the way we live for people who want to make a difference. With the knowledge that we live in a time desperate for global change, renowned spiritual teacher Tolle's book answers the question: what can one person do to enact that change? With clarity and in practical terms, he gently leads readers to a new level of consciousness, awakening them to their lives' purpose and inviting them to envision a new earth where peace and fellowship are the norm.

A New Earth is published internationally in the English language by Penguin Group, one of the world's premier global consumer trade book publishers. The 10-part interactive worldwide web event is a pioneering venture that will have the potential to reach an unprecedented number of readers in all English-language territories far and wide. With key market positions in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Canada, India, China, New Zealand and Ireland, Penguin Group will be able to share this Oprah's Book Club selection with a worldwide audience.

John Makinson, Penguin Group Chairman and CEO, commented, "Penguin is one of the world's few truly global publishers and all of us are honored to be working with Ms. Winfrey on this ground-breaking project. A New Earth is an unforgettable manifesto for a better way of life. Its message reaches across boundaries to illuminate and enrich the human spirit everywhere. Eckhart Tolle teaches us to change the way we view the world and make connections to each other."

To learn more about the book that Oprah calls her "boldest choice yet," visit Penguin Group (USA)'s custom landing page.

Several Penguin Group (USA) Titles Are Acknowledged by the American Library Association

Two Viking titles were chosen as ALA Notable Books in the Fiction category for 2008 by The Notable Books Council of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division American Library Association (ALA): Five Skies by Ron Carlson and Cheating at Canasta by William Trevor. For a list of all the winners, click here.

The Reading List Council, which was established by RUSA's CODES (Collection Development and Evaluation Section) in 2007, has selected the outstanding genre fiction titles of last year. Two PGI titles were chosen: Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (G. P. Putnam's Sons) and The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (Daw). You can find the full list here.

And finally, Ellis Avery's The Teahouse Fire (Riverhead) won the 2008 Barbara Gittings 2008 Stonewall Award for Literature given by ALA's GLBTRT (the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgendered Roundtable). The award is given to one book each year for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered experience. You can find more on the award, GLBTRT and past winners here.

Viking Leads the Industry with the Most Reviewed Titles in January

Publisher's Marketplace names Viking as the "most reviewed imprint" for January 2008 - with 51 reviews. It beat out its nearest competitor, Knopf, by 20%. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks had the most reviews for the month with 19. The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle and Diary of a Bad Year by J.M. Coetzee were also among the top ten reviewed titles of the month.

Dutton's Iceman by Chuck Liddell Hits Big

Chuck Liddell has stepped out of the fighting ring long enough to promote the story of his life. Iceman (Dutton, on-sale now) has been making waves on the media circuit this week and will continue to do so for the next couple of weeks.

After interviewing with Conan O'Brien on Tuesday, Chuck made his way to the Wall Street Borders where hundreds of traders, firemen, construction workers and Wall Street-types turned out to buy over 300 books. He then went to Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ where fans waited in a line for hours.

Sue Monk Kidd Visits the Set of The Secret Life of Bees Movie

Filming began on January 9th for the movie version of Sue Monk Kidd's bestselling novel The Secret Life of Bees. The film's cast includes many A-list stars such as Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Sophia Okonedo, Alicia Keys, Paul Bettany, Hilarie Burton, and Nate Parker. Sue Monk Kidd recently spent three days on the set meeting the personalities that will portray the characters that she created.

The film is set to be released in the fall of 2008.

Dutton Author John Lescroart Receives American Author Medal

Last week John Lescroart received the American Author's Association's highest honor, the American Author Medal. They proclaimed his most recent novel, The Suspect, the best book of 2007. The American Author's Association is a not-for-profit organization composed of authors, poets, artists, filmmakers, and musicians dedicated to the creative arts. The American Author Medal award is given to the author who showcases exemplary talent in the written word. The association's founder referred to Lescroart as "a master craftsman" and noted that the choice for The Suspect as the best book of 2007 was unanimous.

Lescroart fans only have to wait one more month for his newest book, Betrayal, to hit bookstores on February 26th. Betrayal marks the return of San Francisco Defense Attorney Dismas Hardy and his friend, detective Abe Glitsky, in this riveting legal thriller ripped from the headlines and filled with deceit, manipulation and subversion.

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of February 10th

For the week of February 10th, Penguin Group (USA) holds two #1 positions: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (The Penguin Press) rises to #1 in its fourth week on the hardcover nonfiction list; and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) is #1 in its 53rd week on the paperback nonfiction list.

Here are more bestseller highlights for the week of February 10th:

 On the hardcover fiction list, Penguin Group (USA) once again occupies 40% of the list, for the 14th consecutive week: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Viking) is at #3 in its fourth week; A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) is at #4 in its 36th week; World Without End by Ken Follett is #5 in its sixteenth week; Beverly Hills Dead by Stuart Woods (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is at #6 in its second week; The Shooters by W.E.B. Griffin (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is at #10 in its fourth week; and T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton (A Marian Wood Book/Putnam) is at #13 in its eighth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston (Portfolio) rises to #5 in its fourth week.

On the trade paperback fiction list, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) holds at #2 in its 151st week; The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (NAL) holds at #5 in its eleventh week; The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (Berkley) is at #7 in its fourth week; and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin) rises to #10 in its 84th week.

On the mass market paperback fiction list, The Suspect by John Lescroart (Signet) moves up to #6 in its fourth week; Morning Light by Catherine Anderson (Signet) is at #8 in its fourth week; Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Ace) is at #9 in its fifth week; Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts (Jove) is #10 in its tenth week; The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (Signet) moves up to #12 in its fourteenth week; and The Hunters by W.E.B. Griffin (Jove) rises to #17 in its sixth week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) holds at #2 in its 52nd week; The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) moves up to #7 in its 22nd week; and This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel J. Levitin (Plume) returns to the list at #19 in its 20th week.

On the advice, how-to, and miscellaneous list, Living Well by Montel Williams (NAL) returns to the hardcover list at #10 in its third week and Getting Things Done by David Allen (Penguin) moves up to #8 in its eleventh week on the paperback side.

In the young readers sector, on the children's series list, The Alex Rider Adventures by Anthony Horowitz (Philomel/Speak, hardcover and paperback) is at #8 in its 47th week, while Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner holds at #10 in its thirteenth week.

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