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Penguin Group (USA) has three debuts on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of July 18th: Home Team by Sean Payton and Ellis Henican (NAL) debuts at #8 on the hardcover nonfiction list; KnockOut by Catherine Coulter (Jove) debuts at #6 on the mass market fiction list; and The Shadows by Jacqueline West, illustrated by Poly Bernatene (Dial) debuts at #9 on the children's chapter books list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #5 in its 66th week; Whiplash by Catherine Coulter (Putnam) is #12 in its third week; and Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #13 in its ninth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Last Stand by Nathanial Philbrick (Viking) is #10 in its ninth week.

On the trade fiction list, The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Plume) is #15 in its fifth week.

On the mass market paperback list, Black Hills by Nora Roberts (Jove) is #15 in its sixth week; and Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #18 in thirteenth week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) remains at #1 in its 178th; Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) is #2 in its 179th week; The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham) returns to the list at #16 in its twelfth week; and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #19 in its 136th week.

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Penguin Group (USA) Has Three Debuts and Eat, Pray, Love Remains At #1 On the New York Times Bestseller Lists For the Week of July 18th

Penguin Group (USA) has three new New York Times bestsellers on the hardcover, mass market, and children's lists for the week of July 18th.

Following an on-sale week packed with national publicity, Home Team: Coaching the Saints and New Orleans Back to Life (NAL Hardcover) by Sean Payton and Ellis Henican debuts at #8. Coach Payton's memoir is the only new book on the hardcover nonfiction list this week!

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Penguin Group (USA) has a #1 bestselling title on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of July 11th: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) remains at #1 for the fifth week in a row in its 177th week on the paperback nonfiction list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #6 in its 65th week; Whiplash by Catherine Coulter (Putnam) is #8 in its second week; Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #10 in its eighth week; and The Spy by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott is #12 in its fourth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Last Stand by Nathanial Philbrick (Viking) is #10 in its eighth week; and The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose (NAL Caliber) is #16 in its sixteenth week.

On the trade fiction list, The Magician by Lev Grossman (Plume) is #15 in its fourth week.

On the mass market paperback list, Black Hills by Nora Roberts (Jove) is #4 in its fifth week; Medusa by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos (Berkley) is #11 in its fifth week; Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #12 in twelfth week; A Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart (Signet) is #14 in its fourth week; and Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #15 in its 48th week.

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Penguin Group (USA) Has Major Presence at ALA Conference

Penguin Group (USA) had a major presence at the annual American Library Association conference in Washington DC, where 20,000 librarians converged this past weekend. The Penguin booth was packed throughout the conference with enthusiastic librarians who browsed and purchased display copies, snapped up galleys and promotional items, stood on long lines to meet signing authors, and did their best to avoid the 100 degree temperatures outside the convention center. The Academic Sales & Marketing team of Alan Walker, Dominique Jenkins, Tanya Leet, Sara Clemens and Kym Giacoppe was joined at the booth by Howard Wall and Joe Johnson from the PGI Sales division. The We Give Books program was also introduced to the library community, with the newest batch of live in-booth readers helping to push the running book donation total to over 12,000 by the end of the conference.  

As always, Penguin authors were the stars of the show: Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor, Dave Isay and Junot Diaz all brought in big crowds as part of ALA's keynote auditorium speaker series. PGI authors were featured on every themed ALTAFF panel: Madeline Hunter, author of Ravishing in Red (Jove) in the Romance panel; Dwayne Betts, author of A Question of Freedom (Avery) (pictured here) and Randa Jarrar, author of A Map of Home (Penguin), both on the Diversity panel; Jean Kwok, author of Girl in Translation (Riverhead) on the First Authors panel; Jim Breuer, author of I'm Not High (Gotham) and Julie Klausner, author of I Don't Care About Your Band (Gotham) on the Humor panel; and Sophie Hannah, author of The Dead Lie Down (Penguin) at the ALTAFF Tea. Laney Salisbury, author of Provenance (Penguin Press), gave a great talk as part of ALA's prestigious Notable Books Breakfast, and Ann B. Ross' Miss Julia Renews Her Vows (Viking), Vicki Myron's Dewey's Nine Lives (Dutton), Sarah Blake's The Postmistress (Amy Einhorn/Putnam), Maggie Sefton's Skein of the Crime (Berkley) and Peter Bognanni's The House of Tomorrow (Amy Einhorn/Putnam) all made appearances at the booth for well-attended signings.

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Several Penguin Authors Set to "Thrill" the Audience at Thrillerfest 2010

International Thriller Writers' Thrillerfest 2010, a four–day celebration of thriller novels and the authors behind them, will take place July 7th – 10th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in NYC. The event will include panel discussions with the industry's top authors in the genre, cocktail parties, banquets, and book signings. This year, Penguin authors take four of the eight honored 'special guest' spots at the event:

• Ken Follett bestselling author of Pillars of the Earth and the upcoming Fall of Giants (Dutton), – Thillermaster 2010
• Mark Bowde bestselling author of Killing Pablo and Road Work (Penguin) – 2010 True Thriller Award recipient
• Linda Fairstein bestselling author of Hell Gate (Dutton) – 2010 Silver bullet award
• Harlan Coben bestselling author of Caught (Dutton) – Spotlight Guest

These authors will be featured in special presentations where they will be interviewed by fellow authors. Follett, Bowde, and Fairstein will also be presented with their awards at the fifth annual Thriller Awards Banquet on Saturday night.

Putnam author Clive Cussler, an original member and supporter of Thrillerfest, will be featured on a special panel titled, "Inside the Thrillermasters Mind." In addition, many Penguin authors will be included in panel discussions throughout the weekend: Raymond Khoury, Chris Kuzneski, Meg Gardiner, Karen Harper, John Lescroart, Jennifer Allison, A.J. Hartley, Ridley Pearson, Christopher Golden, Sandi Ault, CJ Lyons, David Salkin, Grant Blackwood, Paul Kemprecos, Karen Dionne, Rebecca York, and Mark Greaney will all participate.

To view the panel schedule for the festival, click here.

International Thriller Writers annual celebration of the thriller world is the largest event of its kind, a meeting place for authors, readers, budding writers, and publishing industry professionals.

Find more information about ThrillerFest here.

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For the week of July 4th, Whiplash by Catherine Coulter (Putnam) debuts at #5 on the New York Times hardcover fiction list.

Here are more  New York Times  bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #6 in its 64th week; The Spy by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott is #8 in its third week; Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #13 in its seventh week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Last Stand by Nathanial Philbrick (Viking) is #4 in its seventh week; and The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose (NAL Caliber) is #9 in its fifteenth week.

On the trade fiction list, The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Plume) is #10 in its third week; and Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (Berkley) is #18 in its eighth week.

On the mass market paperback list, Black Hills by Nora Roberts (Jove) is #3 in its fourth week; Medusa by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos (Berkley) is #5 in its fourth week; A Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart (Signet) is #11 in its third week; Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #12 in its eleventh week; Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #13 in its 47th week; and The Traffickers by WE.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Jove) is #17 in its second week.

Penguin Group (USA) lands two debuts on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of June 27th: The Traffickers by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV (Jove) debuts at #18 on the mass market fiction list; and Geek Dad by Ken Denmead (Gotham) debuts at #6 on the paperback advice, how-to and miscellaneous list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #4 in its 63rd week; The Spy by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott is #5 in its second week; Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #6 in its sixth week; Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley) is #8 in its second week; and Storm Prey by John Sandford (Putnam) is #9 in its fourth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Last Stand by Nathanial Philbrick (Viking) is #8 in its sixth week; and The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose (NAL Caliber) is #11 in its fourteenth week.

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Penguin Group (USA) and Amazon.Com Announce the Third Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Winners

Penguin Group (USA) and Amazon.com named Patricia McArdle and Amy Ackley the 2010 winners of the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. For the first time in the competition's history, two grand prizes were awarded: one for general fiction and one for best young adult novel.

Patricia McArdle is the winner of the general fiction category for her novel, Farishta, which will be published by Riverhead Books. The novel centers around a female American diplomat who, transferred to a volatile, remote outpost in northern Afghanistan, provides aid to refugee women fleeing the violence. She becomes their farishta, or "angel," in the local Dari language. Julie Barer of Barer Literary, LLC, one of the contest's expert panelists, described McArdle's "Farishta" as "a moving and fascinating story of one woman's work in a place that few Americans have experienced beyond newspaper headlines and CNN stories. Both the originality of the setting and the quality of the writing make this debut stand out in the crowd."

Amy Ackley is the winner in the young adult fiction category for her novel, Sign Language, which will be published by Viking Children's Books. Inspired by the loss of her father and two close friends to cancer, Sign Language tells the story of 12-year-old Abby North. Her first hint that something is wrong with her dad is the scar that appears on his stomach after he goes in for kidney surgery. Soon, the thing she calls "It" has a real name: cancer. Before, her biggest concerns were her annoying brother, the crush unaware of her existence and her changing feelings for her best friend, Spence. Now, her mother cries in the shower, her father is exhausted and nothing is normal anymore. Penguin Young Readers author Nancy Werlin said the novel "tells its story beautifully and movingly, and it earns its hopeful ending. Ackley is without question a talented writer."

The 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition, which began on January 25th, 2010, drew thousands of entrants, representing all 50 U.S. states and 22 countries. The winners, selected by Amazon.com customers, were revealed at an event held at the Amazon campus in Seattle earlier this week.

Penguin Global Walk Is a Big Success 

David Shanks led more than 250 Penguin Group (USA) employees, as everyone braved the heat and humidity to participate in the New York leg of the 2nd Annual Penguin Global Walk last Friday.  Throughout last week, employees in our Kirkwood, East Rutherford and Pittston locations walked each day to log their mileage. Additionally, many employees who weren't able to take part in the Walk still helped raise funds for the cause. Thanks to everyone's efforts, over $20,000 was raised for The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees Campaign! 

Lords of Finance Wins the 2010 Arthur Ross Book Award Gold Medal 

Penguin Press/ Penguin author Liaquat Ahamed is the winner of the Arthur Ross Book Award Gold Medal for Lords of Finance, it was announced earlier this week.  The annual Arthur Ross Book Award recognizes books that make an outstanding contribution to the understanding of foreign policy or international relations. It was endowed by Arthur Ross in  2001 to honor nonfiction works, in English or translation, that merit  special attention for bringing forth new information that changes our understanding of events or problems, developing analytical approaches that allow new and different insights into critical issues, or providing new ideas that help resolve foreign policy problems. 

Past Penguin Group (USA) winners include Ahmed Rashid, the 2009 recipient of the Silver Medal for Descent into Chaos (Viking/Penguin); Tony Judt, the 2006 Gold Medal recipient for Postwar (Penguin); and Steve Coll, 2005 Gold Medal recipient for Ghost Wars (Penguin).

Liaquat Ahamed's Lords of Finance is also the 2010 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in History and the 2009 winner of the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award.

Penguin Group (USA) lands five debuts on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of June 20th: on the hardcover fiction list, Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley) debuts at #2 and The Spy by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott hits at #3; Chords of Strength by David Archuleta (Celebra) debuts at #15 on the hardcover nonfiction list; The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Plume) appears at #18 on the trade fiction list; and A Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart (Signet) is at #19 on the mass market list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #4 in its 62nd week; Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #5 in its fifth week; and Storm Prey by John Sandford (Putnam) is #8 in its third week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Last Stand by Nathanial Philbrick (Viking) is #7 in its fifth week.

On the trade fiction list, Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (Berkley) is #5 in its sixth week.