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Obama: The Historic Journey Goes On Sale with a Flurry of National Media
The national media campaign for Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times, has gotten off to a great start. The adult and young readers’ editions, which Riverhead Books and Viking Children's Books released in collaboration with Callaway Arts & Entertainment, went on-sale on Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16th and have spent the past week in the national spotlight. On the morning of on-sale Bill Keller, Executive Editor of The New York Times, was interviewed live on NBC’s “Today Show” the nation’s top-rated network morning show. On Tuesday, February 17th, Jill Abramson, Managing Editor of The New York Times, appeared live on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” with Joe Scarborough. Ms. Abramson followed these interviews by participating in a national television satellite tour on Wednesday, February 18th and a national radio satellite tour on Thursday, February 19th; as well as a live interview on WOR-AM’s “Joan Hamburg Show” on Thursday the 19th.
Last night, Barnes & Noble’s Lincoln Triangle store hosted a panel discussion with Jill Abramson and her New York Times colleagues, Michael Powell, Metro Reporter, Damon F. Winter, Photographer, and Jodi Kantor, Politics Domestic Correspondent. The event was a huge success.
In addition, The New York Times has created a three-minute promotional video for Obama: The Historic Journey that is available across the web; click here to view the video on the Penguin website. Essence.com and BET.com will be covering the book and there is more online media to come, including an interview with Jill Abramson on CNN.com.
Penguin's The Inaugural Address 2009 Climbs The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction List
The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama (Penguin, on sale now) is climbing bestseller charts and is currently #7 on The New York Times hardcover nonfiction list for the week of March 1st, up from #15 on last week’s list.
Tying into the official theme for the 2009 Inauguration, “A New Birth of Freedom” from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Penguin released this keepsake hardcover edition commemorating the inauguration of President Barack Obama with words of the two great thinkers and writers who have helped shape him politically, philosophically, and personally: Abraham Lincoln and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
The Los Angeles Times blog posted a nice review of the book, including an excerpt of the editor’s note and President Obama’s inaugural speech. To view the article, click here.
Penguin Group (USA) Has Two Finalists for the Young Lions Fiction Award
Jon Fasman, author of The Unpossessed City (The Penguin Press) and Salvatore Scibona, author of The End (which will be published as a Riverhead Trade Paperback this fall) have been named finalists for the New York Public Library’s 2009 Young Lions Fiction Award. The award honors the works of authors age 35 and under who are making an indelible impression on the world of literature. Each year five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians. A panel of award judges will select the winner.
Established in 2001, this annual award recognizes the work of young authors and celebrates their accomplishments publicly, making a difference in their lives as they continue to build their careers. The Young Lions Fiction Award was founded by Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Rick Moody, and Hannah McFarland. Penguin Group (USA) authors have won the Young Lions Fiction Award for the past two years: in 2008, Viking’s Ron Currie Jr. won for God is Dead and Olga Grushin, author of The Dream Life of Sukhanov (Marian Wood Books) took home the prize in 2007.
This year’s winning writer will be awarded a $10,000 prize on March 16th at a ceremony hosted by Young Lions co-founder and actor Ethan Hawke, held at The New York Public Library.
Penguin Group (USA) Authors Make a Splash at the Annual First Year Experience Conference
The annual First Year Experience conference was held in Orlando, FL on February 7th-9th. Attendees consisting of key First Year Experience decision-makers, committee chairs, faculty members and administrators packed the Penguin booth for the three days of exhibits to talk about our books. Highlights included meet and greet signings during opening night reception by Penguin authors Dave Isay (Listening Is an Act of Love) and Gary Moore (Playing with the Enemy), and also a multi-publisher co-sponsored luncheon for 350 attendees where Greg Mortenson (Three Cups of Tea) spoke to a rapt audience (pictured here, signing books), along with Edwidge Danticat, Alan Weisman and David Batstone.
Three Cups of Tea Chosen for a Host of First Year Experiences for 2009
Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea continues to be phenomenally popular, with three versions of his inspiring story published by Penguin Group (USA) currently on The New York Times bestseller list. For the week of March 1st:
- Three Cups of Tea (Penguin) is #2 on the paperback nonfiction list in its 107th week;
- Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea (Dial) is #1 on the children’s picture books list in its fourth week;
- Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition (Puffin) is #2 on the children’s paperback list in its fourth week
Using Three Cups of Tea as a university or college-wide read or summer freshman read has become increasingly popular. In 2008 alone, there were 56 universities that used the book as a First Year Experience or common read. And it doesn’t seem like it will slow down in 2009. Four programs have already signed on this year.
The Long Beach Public Library chose Three Cups of Tea as the 2009 Long Beach Reads One Book program. All Long Beach area residents, including high school and college students, senior citizens, book clubs, elementary school students, and this year, pre-school students, will have an opportunity to get involved. The city of Long Beach is the 36th largest city in the nation and the sixth largest in California with a population of nearly 500,000. The Long Beach Public Library Foundation coordinates this multi-faceted program, which includes participation by dozens of Long Beach organization partners. You can find additional information here.
Three Cups of Tea was selected for Appalachian State University’s 2009 Summer Reading Program. The book will be read by all incoming freshmen (approx. 1,500-2,000 incoming freshman enrollment) as part of the school’s First Year Seminar Program. Mortenson will speak to members of the campus community and others during Convocation Sept. 10. Click here to read the full article about this program from the Appalachia State University News
University of Maryland Baltimore confirmed Three Cups of Tea for their First Year Experience. Their freshman enrollment is approximately 1,600 students.
And, Grand View University in Des Moines, IA chose Three Cups of Tea as their First Year Experience for 350 incoming freshman.
Visit our feature on Three Cups of Tea for highlights from the national book tour.
Great Media Lineup for T.C. Boyle’s New York Times Bestseller, The Women
The Women by T.C. Boyle (Viking) debuted at #12 on The New York Times hardcover fiction list for the week of March 1st. The Women is Boyle’s look at Frank Lloyd Wright’s life through the four women who loved him. Publicity kicked off with a rave cover review in the New York Times Book Review, followed by reviews in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, and by Alan Cheuse on NPR's “All Things Considered,” among many other local papers.
Boyle's 13-city tour has been a huge success, with first-week stops in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, DC, Pittsburgh, and Princeton, NJ and second-week stops in Chicago, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Top media has been after him everywhere, including On Point in Boston (syndicated on NPR). He'll be interviewed by Tavis Smiley next week during his tour stop in Los Angeles, wrapping up in Phoenix and back home in Santa Barbara.
The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of March 1st
Two new debuts for Penguin Group (USA) on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of March 1st: The Women by T.C. Boyle (Viking) hits at #12 on the hardcover fiction list, while The Gamble by Thomas E. Ricks (The Penguin Press) is #6 on the hardcover nonfiction list.
Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:
On the hardcover fiction list, Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (Ace) is #5 in its second week; Black Ops by W.E.B. Griffin (G. P. Putnam’s Sons) is #13 in its seventh week; A Darker Place by Jack Higgins (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is #14 in its third week; and Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (G. P. Putnam’s Sons) is #15 in its eleventh week.
On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama (Penguin) is #7 in its second week; Why We Suck by Denis Leary (Viking) is #11 in its thirteenth week; and The Big Rich by Bryan Burrough (The Penguin Press) is #12 in its third week.
On the trade paperback fiction list, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) is #6 in its twelfth week; People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin) is #9 in its seventh week; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Riverhead) is #14 in its 24th week; and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) is #19 in its 204th week.
On the mass market fiction list, Coyote's Mate by Lora Leigh (Berkley Sensation) is #6 in its second week; The Ghost War by Alex Berenson (Jove) is eight in its third week; Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker (Berkley) is #13 in its second week; Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz (Jove) is #14 in its second week; Dead Until Dark is #19 in its 21st week; and My Man, Michael by Lori Foster (Berkley) is #20 in its third week.
On the paperback nonfiction list, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) is #2 in its 107th week; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) is #10 in its 108th week; The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #15 in its 74th week; and Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh (Penguin) is #17 in its second week.
The Element by Ken Robinson with Lou Aronica (Viking) is #10 on the hardcover advice, how-to, and miscellaneous list in its second week.
In the young readers sector, Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth (Dial) is #1 on the children's picture book list in its fourth week; while on the children's chapter books list, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Razorbill) is #6 in its seventeenth week. On the children's paperback books list, Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Puffin) is #2 in its fourth week; Slam by Nick Hornby (Riverhead) is #8 in its eighteenth week; and Barack Obama: United States President by Roberta Edwards, illustrated by Ken Call (Grosset & Dunlap) is #10 in its sixth week.
The Unforgiving Minute by Craig Mullaney (The Penguin Press, on sale now)
Craig Mullaney grew up in a blue-collar, Irish-Catholic family in Rhode Island. A voracious reader, he was drawn to the rigor and symbolism of a West Point education. He graduated from the Academy second in his class in 2000, and went on to become an Airborne Ranger and a Rhodes Scholar. But for all of his training in and out of the classroom, one question lingered in his mind—when the moment came to lead his men into battle would he be ready?
In The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education, Craig Mullaney offers us a fascinating inside look at a rather singular education. He begins with an often comical plebe’s eye view of the West Point experience, manages to graduate 2nd in his class, goes on to endure a miserably character-building experience of sleep-deprivation and calorie-restriction in Ranger School and then a whirlwind of champagne toasts and pub crawls as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. The four years he spent at West Point readied him for a career in the Army, but his subsequent experience at Oxford conferred an unorthodox education that would be surprisingly relevant as a combat leader.
From the parade grounds of West Point to the swamps and mountains of Ranger School to the hallowed halls of Oxford, Craig’s winding path to the battlegrounds of Afghanistan was a unique and remarkable one. This is the extraordinary story of one soldier’s education, and his attempt to wrestle with the weight of his hard-earned knowledge.
Craig will be on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” on 2/19, NPR’s “On Point” on 2/24, and on Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” on 3/10.
Read a first chapter excerpt from The Unforgiving Minute here. You can also view the book trailer here.
The Second Book of the Tao by Stephen Mitchell (The Penguin Press, on sale now)
The Second Book of the Tao is a twenty-first-century form of ancient wisdom, bringing a sequel of the Tao Te Ching into the modern world. Alongside each translated passage, Mitchell includes his own commentary, to explicate and complement the work for contemporary readers. His meditations and provocative re-imagining of the original texts comprise a book that is both a companion volume and an anti-manual to the Tao Te Ching. Mitchell renders these ancient teachings at once modern, relevant, and timeless.
Wise and witty, challenging and inspirational, The Second Book of the Tao reconnects us to our own fundamental wisdom, to which now, in these chaotic times more than ever, we should return, in order to live truthfully, and to live well. Mitchell will soon set off on a book tour with stops in Portland, Seattle, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Denver, Santa Fe, New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.
One Big Happy Family edited by Rebecca Walker (Riverhead, on sale now)
One Big Happy Family: 18 Writers Talk About Polyamory, Open Adoption, Mixed Marriage, Househusbands, Single Motherhood, and Other Realities of Truly Modern Love, an anthology edited by Rebecca Walker, features essays by some of the most provocative writers of our generation – ZZ Packer, Neal Pollack, Dan Savage, and asha bandele, among others – will be reviewed in the March 2nd issue of People magazine, Walker will be a guest on NPR’s nationally syndicated "Tell Me More with Michel Martin” on February 28, and she and other contributors will be guests on WNYC’s “The Leonard Lopate Show” on February 24.
The essay collection has created a great deal of buzz online, where coverage includes excerpts on Glamour.com and The Root (an African-American interest website run by Washington Post), Mamazine, Literary Mama, Jewcy, Readerville, Honey, White Hot Truth, Queercents, Offsprung, Clutch and Feminist Review.
The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (The Penguin Press, on sale now)
In an unnamed city always slick with rain, where men still wear fedoras, Charles Unwin wishes only to escape his good fortune. A humble but content clerk in the large, bureaucratic Agency,
Unwin is inexplicably promoted to detective, a rank for which he lacks both the skills and the stomach. Thus begins The Manual of Detection, Jedediah Berry’s “remarkably auspicious debut” (Booklist) which is, at once, a satisfying mystery and a boundary pushing literary feat.
What little Charles Unwin knows about solving mysteries comes from the reports he has filed for the illustrious detective Travis Sivart, who has suddenly gone missing. Aided by an able, if sleepy, new assistant and a copy of the singular Manual of Detection, Unwin sets out to find Sivart, assuming that with the detective back at his job, Unwin can go back to his old job. As he closes in on Sivart, dark forces draw close to him; he is framed for murder and his umbrella, which he always carries with him, seems no match for the gun-toting goons that chase him. As he dodges these threats, mind-bending questions proliferate: Why does the mummy at the Municipal Museum have modern-day dental work? Where have all the city’s alarm clocks gone? Why is Unwin’s copy of the Manual missing Chapter 18? And will it ever stop raining?
Jedediah Berry delivers precise prose, imaginative storytelling, and airtight plotting, pulling the reader into a fascinating and fantastic world from page one. A Penguin Rep Pick, Ingram Premier Pick, and March Indie Next List Pick, The Manual of Detection is on course to receive widespread review coverage in the likes of the New York Times, New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, and the New Yorker, among others.
View our feature to read the first chapter of Jedediah Berry’s The Manual of Detection here.
Common Wealth by Jeffrey D. Sachs (Penguin, 2/24)
Our world has changed drastically in recent decades. The pressures of scarce resources, growing environmental stress, a rising global population, legal and illegal mass migration, shifting economic power, extreme poverty, and vast inequalities of income could lead to a disastrous clash of civilizations unless we learn, on a global scale, the same lessons that successful societies have learned within their own national borders. One of the world’s greatest economists and author of the New York Times bestseller, The End of Poverty, Jeffrey D. Sachs argues that these most pressing issues will take center stage in the 21st century in his latest book, Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet, now available for the first time in paperback.
Warning that the world’s current ecological, demographic, and economic trajectory is unsustainable, Sachs calls for new economic strategies that are global, inclusive, cooperative, environmentally aware, and based on science and technology. Common Wealth shows how we can avert the dire threats that face our world and achieve our crucial goals in the coming decades.
Passionate and compelling, Common Wealth points the way to a secure and prosperous world for ourselves and future generations. Sachs will soon appear on “The Late Show with David Letterman”and “The Tavis Smiley Show” on PBS, with much more to come.
Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin, 2/24)
Penguin is proud to announce the reissuing of Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert. On two isolated islands off the coast of Maine, local lobstermen have fought savagely for generations over the fishing rights to the water between them. Enter Ruth Thomas, daughter of one of the greediest lobsterman on the remote Maine island; a bright, pragmatic and courageous 18-year-old girl just out of boarding school looking to widen her horizons and join the “stern men’s” crew.
Named one of Time magazine’s “Most Influential People of 2008,” Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the highly acclaimed Eat, Pray Love, began her 13-city Stern Men tour this February with great tour media from Los Angeles to Washignton, DC., including stops at the University of Louisville and the Washington National Cathedral.
Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander (Penguin, 2/24)
With the same riveting historical narrative that made The Kitchen Boy a national bestseller and Rasputin’s Daughter a book club favorite, Robert Alexander returns to revolutionary Russia for The Romanov Bride. As the reign of Nicholas and Alexandra comes to an end, The Romanov Bride follows the lives of two revolutionary souls, that of the Grand Duchess Elisavyeta (or Ella), sister of the Tsarista Alexksandra, and that of Pavel, a simple village man in search of a better life Robert Alexander, author of The Romanov Bride will be embarking on a multi-city tour this March to such exotic locales as Books & Books in the Cayman Islands. View our feature for The Romanov Bride here.
Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (Penguin, 2/24)
When Nudge came out in hardcover, readers and the media embraced the idea that most of us are like Homer Simpson: effort averse and impulsive. We struggle with obesity, fail to save for retirement, invest money foolishly, and choose health insurance plans that poorly meet our needs. (Not to mention, we contribute to global warming and fail to become organ donors.) Why do so many of us make bad choices about such important issues? Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, And Happiness, which Penguin Books will publish in paperback, is about choices—how we make them and how we can make better ones. Is it possible for people to be happier, wealthier and healthier? And can we guide people to better choices without hampering their freedom?
Pioneering economist Richard Thaler and leading legal thinker Cass Sunstein answer with a resounding “Yes.” In this fascinating, enlightening, and often funny book, they offer easy-to-implement ideas that can greatly improve people’s lives—without anyone being forced to do anything. We’ve already seen an interview with Richard Thaler in The New York Times’ business section and mentions on TIME.com and in Newsweek and keep an eye out for Richard Thaler on “Good Morning America” the week of on sale.
