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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!
Catherine Coulter has two books on the bestseller list this week. KnockOut (Jove) debuts at #6 on the mass market fiction list, while Whiplash (Putnam) is #12 on the hardcover fiction list in its third week.
Jacqueline West's first novel The Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 1: The Shadows (Dial Books for Young Readers) debuted at #9 on this week's children's chapter book bestseller list. Major media attention for this innovative middle grade fantasy continues to grow. The San Francisco Chronicle raved that it's "a fantastic story full of magic and mysteries" and Monsters and Critics called it "a delight". Fans of Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman will love this magical tale about a girl who is transported to Elsewhere via the paintings in her large broken down mansion. For more information on the series, check out the interactive website which includes a synopsis, games and facts about the author. You can also watch the animated video trailer.
And finally, Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love (Penguin) continues its reign on the paperback nonfiction list. It has been #1 for six weeks in a row and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 178 weeks!
HBO's "The Pacific" Earns 24 Emmy Nominations, Raising the Profile of NAL's Series Companion Book
The 2010 Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced this week, and HBO's acclaimed World War II miniseries, The Pacific, led the field with an amazing 24 nominations, including Best Miniseries. This is the most nominations for any series or miniseries. (The next most honored show, "Glee," received 19 nominations.)
In March, NAL published The Pacific, the official companion book to the miniseries. Written by Hugh Ambrose, who also acted as a historical consultant on the series, the book was on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list for 16 weeks, and still remains on the extended list. According to Bookscan, more than 500,000 copies (and counting) of The Pacific have been sold to date.
HBO's "True Blood," Based on Ace's Bestselling Series by Charlaine Harris, Racks Up Emmy Nominations for the Second Year in a Row
"True Blood," the hit HBO show based on Ace author Charlaine Harris's bestselling Sookie Stackhouse novels, also picked up multiple Emmy nominations this week. Alan Ball's series received five nominations, including one for Outstanding Drama Series. "True Blood" has quickly become a pop culture phenomenon and is HBO's highest-rated series since "The Sopranos." Shortly after last month's third season premiere, the cable network announced that the show had been picked up for a fourth season.
Two Penguin Group (USA) Authors Inducted into the California Hall of Fame
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver formally announced 14 new inductees into the California Hall of Fame on Wednesday, and two Penguin Group (USA) authors were among them: Viking's Barbra Streisand, author of the upcoming My Passion for Design, and Riverhead's Anne Lamott, author of, most recently, the New York Times bestseller, Imperfect Birds.
Established by Shriver in 2006, the California Hall of Fame inductees are selected by members from the California Museum, the California Arts Council and the governor's and first lady's offices, with the goal of selecting visionaries who have transcended boundaries in their fields and who inspire people to follow their dreams.
Other inductees include filmmaker James Cameron, tennis star Serena Williams, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg, and actress Betty White, as well as posthumously, philanthropist Levi Strauss and former Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown.
First Lady Maria Shriver said: "I am so honored to be able to recognize this incredible roster of people who are not only an inspiration to me, but to others across California and beyond. They represent the diversity, innovation and creativity that overflow from our amazing state."
The public will be invited to watch the red carpet arrivals of this year's inductees on December 14th at the California Museum for History, Women & the Arts in Sacramento. On December 15th, the California Museum will unveil the 2010 California Hall of Fame exhibit, a collection of personal mementos and artifacts on loan from the 14 inductees or their families.
Read more about the induction announcement in the Sacramento Bee here.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Penguin Both Celebrate 75 Years in August
Penguin Books and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon are both celebrating their 75th Anniversary by holding a joint two-day celebration at the Festival's Tudor Guild Gift Shop on Festival grounds. The event will be held on Friday, August 6th (from 5 - 8 p.m.), which coincides with their Friday Night Art Walk, and on Saturday, August 7th (from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).
Other publishers' books will literally be moved aside to showcase our Penguin Shakespeare-related books throughout the entire gift shop, as well as our newest Penguin "What the World is Reading" Sampler (and all ten books excerpted in the sampler). There will be cake, wine, and Penguin 75th anniversary tote bags given with purchase, as well as posters, balloons, tattoos, postcards, and magnets for Gift Shop patrons and Festival attendees. There will also be Penguin Gear for sale (t-shirts, caps, mugs, and book lights), as well as the Penguin Costume put to good use during both days. The local NPR affiliate will cover the event as well as other local press in Medford and Ashland. Read more about it here.
Follow the Car! More Highlights from the Penguin Anniversary-Mobile
The Penguin Anniversary-Mobile is back on the East Coast this week. On Saturday, the mini will be visiting the RJ Julia Independent Bookseller in Madison, CT for an anniversary celebration. The store will raffle off a Penguin gift bag filled with a selection of Penguin titles. RJ Julia has included the upcoming event and their appreciation for Penguin in their newsletter, writing: "Most of us probably have a stack of Penguin Publisher books in our homes; they publish all the best classics."
On Monday the Penguin Mini will be back home in NYC to help Janice Y.K. Lee, bestselling author of The Piano Teacher (Penguin), host a party at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side. The party will celebrate Penguin's anniversary as well as offer a time for readers to hear Janice talk about her book and ask her questions. The event will begin at 7 pm.
Photos from last week's event at Vroman's in Pasadena, CA are in, which illustrate the good time had by all. Bestselling author Luanne Rice, who will publish her next book with Pamela Dorman/Viking in March 2011, is pictured above. View the other photos here.
Stay tuned for more coverage, and keep up with the Penguin Mini's tour with blog posts and photos in Penguin Community.
Viking/Plume Author Lev Grossman Chats with Charlie Rose About The Magicians
On Monday, author and Time book reviewer Lev Grossman sat down with Charlie Rose to discuss his book, The Magicians (Viking/ Plume), as well as to look at the current world of fiction novels. They discussed Lev's opinion on what will be the most popular books on the beaches this summer and why the nation has become so captivated by vampires. When asked about The Magicians, Lev explained: "It's a novel - it's a novel for adults, and [the main character] has to reckon with the things that adults reckon with - sex, drinking, love, what you do after you graduate from college, all those dilemmas that we're so wonderfully familiar with."
Read an excerpt.
Plume's Sascha Rothchild Discusses Life Post-Getting Divorced by 30
Sascha Rothchild, author of the Plume original memoir, How to Get Divorced by 30, is featured in the July/August issue of Psychology Today. In the article she discusses her current relationship as well as life after getting divorced by 30. Sascha is a blogger for psychologytoday.com and in her blog, "I'm No Expert, But...," she discusses everything from being friends with your ex to what not to name your baby. Her humorous look at life and relationships continues to captivate both the fans of her blog as well as her popular book.
Read an excerpt, watch the animated book trailer, and listen to our podcast with Sascha Rothchild.
