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Penguin Group (USA) Takes Home Three Books for a Better Life Awards

Penguin Group (USA) had three winners (out of the nine nominated) at the Books for a Better Life Awards, sponsored by the New York City Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The 2009 Books for a Better Life Awards honor the best self-improvement books of 2008. The winners, announced this week, were:

• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (The Penguin Press) in the Wellness category
• September Songs by Maggie Scarf (Riverhead) in the Relationships category
• My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor (Viking) in the Psychology category

Since 1996, the Books for a Better Life Awards have recognized more than 400 self-improvement authors, raising more than $1.5 million for the New York City Chapter’s comprehensive support services and educational programs for people living with MS, their friends and families. Five finalists are chosen from more than 400 entries for each of ten categories, including childcare/parenting, first book, inspirational memoir, motivational, psychology, relationships, spiritual, wellness, audiobook and green categories.

And special congratulations goes to Executive Editor of Riverhead Books Jake Morrissey. For the past three years, Jake has had an author who has been a finalist for the awards: Ellen Burstyn in 2007; Laura Sessions Stepp in 2008; and Maggie Scarf this year. Third time's a charm - this year, he brought home the win!

For the complete list of finalists and winners, click here.

View our feature on In Defense of Food and read a Q&A with author Michael Pollan.

Also, listen to a podcast with My Stroke of Insight author Jill Bolte Taylor, and view video from both Oprah’s Soul Series Webcast and Ted.com, all here.

Penguin’s The Jasons Wins American Institute of Physics 2008 Science Writing Award 

The Jasons by Ann Finkbeiner (Penguin) has been selected as one of four winners of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) 2008 science writing award. The Jasons, which was published by Penguin in paperback in 2007, profiles a secretive group of some of the country’s smartest scientists who have met every summer for the last 45 years to work on mostly classified problems for the U.S. government.

AIP’s Vice President of Physics Resources commented: "These outstanding science communicators have each improved the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and related sciences through their wonderfully creative endeavors."

The prize comes with $3,000, an engraved Windsor chair, and a certificate of recognition.

Jane Kamensky’s The Exchange Artist Named Finalist for 2009 George Washington Book Prize

Jane Kamensky’s The Exchange Artist: A Tale of High-Flying Speculation and America's First Banking Collapse (Viking) has been selected as one of three finalists by Washington College for the 2009 George Washington Book Prize, in commemoration of George Washington’s birthday.

The jurors described Jane Kamensky's The Exchange Artist as a "fascinating window into the pitfalls of unfettered capitalism" that tells the story of Andrew Dexter, Jr., a New England entrepreneur-turned-con-artist who dreamed of erecting the tallest building in the United States – a scheme financed by "a string of giddy banks" and "hopeless overleveraging" whose spectacular collapse "almost hauntingly fits within the zeitgeist of the issues the nation is wrestling with today."

The prize comes with a $50,000 award—co-sponsored by Washington College, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. This is the largest prize nationwide for a book on early American history, and one of the largest literary prizes of any kind. It recognizes the year’s best books on the nation’s founding era, especially those that have the potential to advance broad public understanding of American history. The winner will be announced at a gala celebration May 28th at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia.
 

Viking Author Susan Choi Named a Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award

The winner and four finalists of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction were announced this week and Viking author Susan Choi was named a finalist for A Person of Interest. As a finalist, Choi will receive a cash prize of $5,000.

Founded in 1980, the PEN/Faulkner Award is the largest peer-juried prize for fiction in the United States. In a ceremony that celebrates the winner as “first among equals,” all five authors will be honored during the 29th annual PEN/Faulkner Award ceremony on Saturday, May 9 at Folger Shakespeare Library.

Visit the A Person of Interest book page for a link to the reading group guide and a podcast.
 

Penguin eBooks Releases Never-Before-Seen Prequel Novella by Paranormal Romance Author Nalini Singh

Penguin eBooks this week released a never-before-seen novella called Angels’ Pawn from Nalini Singh, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Hostage to Pleasure.

Angel’s Pawn, only available as an eSpecial, is a prequel to Singh’s all-new Guild Hunter series which introduces readers to the world of the Guild Hunter—a world of beauty and danger where angels and vampires coexist. Angels’ Blood, the first full-length novel in the Guild Hunter series, will be available in bookstores on March 3rd.

This eSpecial is now available wherever eBooks are sold, in many formats, including those compatible with Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle, and iPhone among others.
 

Penguin Young Readers Group Offers Free Ranger’s Apprentice eBook to Great Success - 34,000 Downloads in One Month

From January 15th through February 15th, Penguin Young Readers Group offered a free eBook of The Ruins of Gorlan, the first book in the popular New York Times bestselling fantasy middle grade series, Ranger’s Apprentice (Philomel/Puffin), on Scribd.com. Websites and bloggers embedded the widget on their pages providing readers access to the virtual book, and friends of the Ranger’s Apprentice MySpace page posted the eBook on their blogs, bulletins, Twitter and MySpace pages. In the month long promotion, 34,000 readers accessed the eBook. Blogs with the eBook embedded accounted for 18,763 views, meaning the eBook was actively shared online. Over 40 blogs and websites participated in the promotion. Both Publisher’s Lunch and PW Children’s Bookshelf ran pieces on the promotion.

Here’s what the bloggers had to say about the promotion: “Sounds pretty cool to me. I like this promo since I’ve seen the series around and didn’t know whether I wanted to make the monetary commitment. Guess I’ll know after I finish the eBook!” wrote In Bed With Books. Angieville Blog commented, “I’ve glanced at this series several times without picking it up. This might be the perfect time to jump in.”

Visit our Ranger’s Apprentice feature page to learn more about the series, enter the Mobile Fan Club, read book excerpts and a Q&A with the author, and watch a video trailer.
 

Perigee’s Wreck This Journal Becomes a Cult Phenomenon

If we ever doubted the usefulness of the Internet in helping to sell books, Perigee's Wreck This Journal (WTJ) by Keri Smith is a clear example of its power. The book, an illustrated journal that features a subversive collection of prompts asking readers to literally destroy the book, was originally published in June 2007 and received very little standard media coverage. Since then, however, it has become a viral sensation, with sales continuing to grow. Flickr has a Wreck This Journal page with more than 4,000 items posted. YouTube carries dozens of WTJ videos created by fans, and there are WTJ fan groups on Facebook. In addition, a wide range of websites feature chats and discussion about WTJ, including Suicide Girls, diyplanner, 43Things, thisnext.com; writersstore.com; ipernity.com; and geekone.com. As a result, the book has become a “cult” favorite amongst a variety of groups, both on and off-line. In the retail sector, Hot Topics, a chain of goth stores for teens, has been a huge supporter of the book, while the hipsters at Urban Outfitters love it too.

Schools have also taken to the unique concept, with several teachers reporting back that they have used the book in their elementary classrooms. In addition, Keri Smith’s second book with Perigee (How to Be an Explorer of the World) has been picked up in college classrooms; Smith is also developing an exhibit based on Explorer for The New Children's Museum in San Diego.

The buzz has spread internationally as well: The American Book Center (www.abc.nl) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has reported that they sell more copies of WTJ than the Harry Potter series!
 

New York City Teenage Girls Celebrate Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

2009 marks the 10th Anniversary of Speak, the genre-defining YA novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. To help celebrate this milestone, Penguin Young Readers Group partnered with WET (Women's Expressive Theatre) and their non-profit Risk Takers Film Series, a citywide, free media-literacy and leadership program for teenage girls. WET's Risk Takers Film Series uses film as a launching pad for discussion to teach girls how to look at the media with a critical eye, bolster girls’ self-esteem, and provide them with leadership skills. Over 125 girls are enrolled in the program, hailing from over 80 schools throughout the five boroughs of New York. On Saturday February 21st, the Risktakers watched the film Speak (based on the novel) followed by small discussion groups about the novel and ending with a Q&A with the film's director, Jessica Sharzer.

The 10th Anniversary Edition of Speak (Puffin/Speak) goes on sale March 19th. The edition includes updated discussion questions, Q&A with Laurie, as well as a powerful poem written by Laurie using letters she has received from fans over the last 10 years. To hear the author reading her poem and to share your thoughts about Speak visit Speak Up About Speak.
 

Song Yet Sung is Named 2009 “One Maryland One Book” Selection

Song Yet Sung, the second novel from Riverhead author James McBride, was recently announced as the 2009 selection for the “One Maryland One Book” program. A volunteer committee of Maryland librarians, educators, authors, journalists, and avid readers chose McBride’s book from a list of more than 100 titles. Sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council (MHC), the program is the state’s first and only statewide community reading program.

Phoebe Stein Davis, MHC Executive Director, praised Song Yet Sung as “not simply a story of slavery, but rather a tale of freedom, hope, redemption, and identity, with a generous dose of commentary on modern American society.”

James McBride had this to say after the announcement: “I am delighted. Like many Americans, I had no idea that the Eastern Shore of Maryland was the gateway to freedom for so many. I am happy to help illuminate the magic of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and in that regard I got a lot of help—from native Marylanders, historians, and librarians who were happy to share both their resources and their proud history.”

McBride will participate in a series of events to promote “One Maryland One Book” this fall.

Learn more about Song Yet Sung by visiting the book page; read the Q&A and listen to a podcast with the author, read an excerpt from the book, and explore the reading group guide.
 

Tom Selleck Returns to TV This Sunday as Robert B. Parker’s Police Chief Jesse Stone

Sony Pictures Television and CBS once again bring Robert B. Parker’s bestselling Jesse Stone series to television with “Jesse Stone: Thin Ice.” This is the fifth made-for-television movie based on the eight-book series, and again stars Tom Selleck as the title character. Selleck was nominated for an Emmy Award for his previous portrayal of Jesse Stone in “Jesse Stone: Sea Change.”

In “Thin Ice,” Stone gets in trouble with the Paradise, Mass. Town Council after he is inadvertently caught up in a shoot-out on a Boston street. His friend and the State Homicide Commander is wounded which also forces the Internal Affairs Division to investigate Stone. And to further complicate his already strained relations with the Council, Stone fires another Paradise Police Officer and takes on the case of a celebrity whose child has gone missing.

Be sure to catch “Jesse Stone: Thin Ice” when it airs this Sunday, March 1st at 9:00 PM eastern on CBS (channel 2 in the NYC metro area). For more information about the movie and to watch a preview, visit the CBS website. For more information about Robert B. Parker and his bestselling novels, visit his official website.

Robert B. Parker’s latest Jesse Stone bestseller, Strangers in Paradise (Berkley) is currently #15 on the mass market fiction list in its third week.

Click here for an interview with Robert B. Parker.
 

Media Hype Mounts for Gotham’s A Course Called Ireland

In A Course Called Ireland (Gotham, on sale March 19th), author Tom Coyne takes the trip every man dreams of, in an epic Celtic sojourn in search for ancestors, nostalgia, and the world’s greatest round of golf. With his golf clubs packed, he set out on foot to play the round of his lifetime on the best course on earth.

Media highlights include great national and local radio such as ESPN’s “The Chip Howard Show,” WBUR’s “Only a Game,” Sportsnet “Daily News Live,” and much more. The book is being reviewed in magazines and newspapers, including GolfWeek Magazine, SI Golf Plus, Irish America, Delaware County Daily Times, Portland Oregonian, and much more. The McClatchy News Wire called it “the perfect golf trip” and TravelGolf.com called it “epic.” This week there will be an excerpt on golf.com about the book. Guinness and Tom Coyne paired up for a Pub Tour promoting A Course Called Ireland. Tom will be visiting Guinness sponsored pubs in Baltimore and Washington DC. Tom will be swinging by The Town Book Store in Westfield, NJ on April 4th where he will be discussing more of his adventure with readers, fans, and golf aficionados.
 

Great Coverage for Ultimate Adventures and Where to Go When: The Americas in Scouting magazine

Both Ultimate Adventures: A Rough Guide to Adventure Travel and Where to Go When: The Americas (DK) are reviewed, with cover images, in the March/April issue of Scouting, the magazine for volunteer leaders of the Boy Scouts of America. The article says:

“Where to Go When helps you choose the best places to visit as well as the optimal times to be there. DK’s Eyewitness Guide offers a wealth of info to help you find an island getaway in April, a tour of Anasazi sites in June, or a warm locale in November.”

And Ultimate Adventures is deemed…“…[A] combination of eye candy for the armchair traveler, inspiration for those musing about their next trip, and practical information for true adventurers. This book covers the breadth of global exploits. Whether it’s dog sledding or hiking, camel trekking or canoeing, desert camping or scuba diving, you’ll fin information for your next experience, including maps, safety advice, and lists of local guides.”
 

New on the Penguin Website

Penguin is on Twitter and is tweeting along with the best of publishers, book bloggers, readers, authors and other book enthusiasts taking the twitterverse by storm. Already @penguinusa has attracted over 600 followers!

Become our Tweeps! Find us here:

• Penguin USA - @penguinusa
• Penguin UK - @penguinbooks
• Penguin Canada - @penguincanada
• Penguin India - @penguinindia
• Tarcher - @tarcherbooks
• The Penguin Press - @penguinpress
• Riverhead - @riverheadbooks

Penguin Group (USA) has also joined Facebook! We know that readers and authors are already fans of Penguin, and now you can find us on Facebook too. Find us here!

Simon LeVay discusses his book, When Science Goes Wrong, a look the lesser known scientific experiments that went awry, on this week’s Penguin Podcast.

Next week, June Casagrande will read from her grammar book, Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies, which presents a light look at the world of grammar.

Marlon James, author of The Book of Night Women, is our Penguin Guest Blogger this week. Check out his posts here. You can also read an excerpt from the book and watch the video in which Marlon explains the history behind the story.

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of March 8th

Three new debuts for Penguin Group (USA) on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of March 8th: Obama: The Historic Journey, with an introduction by Bill Keller and biographical text by Jill Abramson (Calloway, distributed by Riverhead Books) hits at #3 on the hardcover nonfiction list; Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press) is #15 on that same list; and The Soloist by Steve Lopez (Berkley) is #20 on the paperback nonfiction list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Women by T.C. Boyle (Viking) is #11 in its second week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Gamble by Thomas E. Ricks (The Penguin Press) is #5 in its second week; The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama (Penguin) is #6 in its third week; and Why We Suck by Denis Leary (Viking) is #13 in its fourteenth week.

On the trade paperback fiction list, People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin) is #6 in its eighth week; A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) is #8 in its thirteenth week; and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Riverhead) is #15 in its 25th week.

On the mass market fiction list, The Ghost War by Alex Berenson (Jove) is #5 in its fourth week; Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker (Berkley) is #15 in its third week; Coyote's Mate by Lora Leigh (Berkley Sensation) is #18 in its third week; and Dead Until Dark is #20 in its 22nd week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) reclaims the #1 slot in its 108th week; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) is #7 in its 109th week; The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #15 in its 75th week; and Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh (Penguin) is #17 in its third week.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle (Plume) is #8 on the paperback advice, how-to, and miscellaneous list in its 50th week.

In the young readers sector, Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth (Dial) remains #1 on the children's picture book list in its fifth week; while on the children's chapter books list, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Razorbill) is #5 in its eighteenth week and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Dial) returns to the list at #7 in its second week. On the children's paperback books list, Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Puffin) is #3 in its fifth week and Barack Obama: United States President by Roberta Edwards, illustrated by Ken Call (Grosset & Dunlap) is #8 in its seventh week.
 

New This Week

Ten Degrees of Reckoning by Hester Rumberg (Amy Einhorn Books/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons, on sale now)

In 1993, Judith Sleavin and her husband Mike, along with their two young children set out to live their dream—to sail around the world aboard their 47-foot bluewater sailboat For almost three years the Sleavins explored foreign waters and new countries. But in 1995, one night off the coast of New Zealand, the dream became a nightmare when a merchant ship altered its course by a mere ten degrees, slammed into the boat, and continued on its way, leaving devastation in its wake. Judith’s nine-year-old son, Ben, was killed instantly. She was then forced to watch her seven-year-old daughter Annie and her husband die before her eyes. There were many times when she thought she too was going to die. What kept her alive was the love of her family and the longing to tell their story so that what happened to them would never happen to anyone else. Now, for the first time, that story is being told in full by Judith’s good friend, Hester Rumberg, in Ten Degrees of Reckoning: A True Story of a Family’s Love and the Will to Survive. Hester can be heard on the radio around the country this week, talking about Judith's ordeal and the eventual triumph of life and the human spirit over adversity. Hester will also be appearing at several bookstores around the country this spring, including Third Place Books in Seattle, Powell’s in Portland, and Books Inc in San Francisco.

New Next Week

The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan by James Mann (Viking, 3/5)

The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan is off to a great start. Author James Mann has had some terrific advance press including a starred review from Kirkus, who said “Mann enlivens his account with telling anecdotes…and with a brilliant exposition of the tug of war within the administration over Reagan’s famous Berlin Wall speech.” The first serial is available online at vanityfair.com. Upcoming press includes interviews with NPR’s “All Things Considered,” The Washington Post, an excerpt in the Wall Street Journal, as well as reviews expected in The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Affairs, as well as pieces in The DailyBeast, Truthdig.com and others.