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For the last edition of Spotlight of the year, we wanted to take a look back at some of the highlights from among Penguin Group (USA)’s extraordinary 2009 successes.

Great 2009 Publishing Stories Led by Bestsellers from Charlaine Harris, Kathryn Stockett, Nora Roberts, and Greg Mortenson

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris and the other eight books in her Sookie Stackhouse mystery series have sold more than 10 million copies. Harris made publishing history in 2009 when all nine of the books in the series were on the New York Times bestseller lists simultaneously in the same week twice in August. Her books spent a combined 169 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in 2009, and she had at least one New York Times bestseller 76% of the year. She became a full-fledged pop phenomenon with the arrival of the second season of the hit HBO television show, “True Blood,” which is based on Harris’s novels and continues to help drive her ongoing success.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn/ Putnam) became the surprise bestseller hit of the year, with more than 1.2 million copies in print, through 43 printings, and over 1.1 million copies shipped, to date. The book is the longest-running New York Times bestseller on the hardcover fiction list, #5 after 37 weeks. The Help will also be named USA Today’s “Book of the Year” in the publication’s December 24th edition, and foreign rights have been sold in 30 countries. The book became the highest-rated audio book ever sold by Audible.com, which named it Book of the Year and Audible customer favorite. In addition, The Help won Exclusive Books’ prestigious 2009 Boeke Prize in South Africa.

Nora Roberts achieved ten New York Times bestsellers in 2009 – five of the titles reaching #1. Vision in White, book one in the Bride Quartet, Roberts’ first trade paperback original series, made Penguin Group (USA) history as its first trade paperback original with an initial printing of 1 million copies. This number was matched by the first printing for Bed of Roses, book two in the Bride Quartet. When Black Hills hit #1 on the hardcover fiction list, Nora achieved #1 New York Times bestsellers across all formats—hardcover, trade paperback and mass market—in 2009.

Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea broke new publishing ground the week of May 24th, achieving three simultaneous #1 New York Times bestsellers in the same week, with three different editions: Three Cups of Tea (Penguin) (more than 3.5 million copies shipped since its initial paperback publication in February 2007), Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition (Puffin) (more than 460,500 copies shipped since February 2009) and Listen to the Wind (Dial) (more than 160,000 copies shipped since February 2009). Greg Mortenson’s new book, Stones into Schools, debuted at #2 on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list for the week of December 20th, with more than 500,000 copies shipped thus far.

Penguin Group (USA) Scored More New York Times Bestsellers Than Ever Before in 2009 and Led the Industry in Mass Market Bestsellers

• Penguin Group (USA) scored a house record 241 overall New York Times bestsellers in 2009, with 30 titles hitting #1, up 20% over last year.
• The Berkley/NAL group led the industry in New York Times mass market bestsellers, with 77 titles hitting the list in 2009. The group also set a new industry record, owning over 60% (12 out of 20 titles) of the New York Times mass market fiction bestseller list, for the week of October 4th.
• PGI landed 88 hardcover titles on the New York Times bestseller list in 2009.
• Penguin Group (USA) scored 42 New York Times trade paperback bestsellers in 2009, up 11% over 2008.
• The Penguin Young Readers Group landed 34 New York Times bestsellers in 2009, including five #1 New York Times bestsellers. The division placed a record-breaking 11 titles on the New York Times children’s bestseller lists for the week of November 15th, an achievement preceded by landing ten titles on the New York Times children’s bestseller lists in each of the first two weeks in November.

Imprint Achievements in 2009 Cross Divisions and Formats

G. P. Putnam’s Sons was again the industry’s #1 New York Times bestselling hardcover imprint, a position it has held for more than two decades. Putnam achieved 34 New York Times hardcover bestsellers for the year. Major titles from Putnam in 2009 included The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell; The Defector by Daniel Silva; U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton; Black Hills by Nora Roberts; Wicked Prey by John Sandford; Black Ops by W.E.B. Griffin; Knockout by Catherine Coulter; four New York Times bestsellers from Clive Cussler; three New York Times bestsellers each from Robert Parker and Stuart Woods; and, of course, The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

 

Viking broke its record for New York Times bestsellers, with twelve of its titles hitting the list in 2009. An additional ten made it to the extended list, which means 25% of Viking’s list were bestsellers. Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin; Travelling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor; The Magicians by Lev Grossman and Janice Y. K. Lee’s The Piano Teacher (Viking), the second debut novel from a Penguin Group (USA) author in 2009 to achieve the rare accomplishment of hitting the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list right out of the gate, were among the imprint’s biggest titles.

 

The Penguin Press had 45% of its list become New York Times bestsellers in 2009, including Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon; The Gamble by Thomas Ricks; The Healing of America by T. R. Reid; Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford; and Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed, which won The Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, was one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2009 and on many other publication’s “Best of …” lists.

 

Gotham’s publication of The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow has been a national sensation. The book debuted on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list at #5 in May (reaching a high of # 3) and spent twelve weeks on the printed list. It now has more than 214,000 in print copies in print, through 16 printings, after an initial print run of 70,000 in April. Gotham also managed to land two books simultaneously on the hard-to-crack New York Times Advice, How-to, and Miscellaneous Lists with The Conversation by Hill Harper on the hardcover side, and How to Take Over Teh Wurld by Professor Happycat on the paperback side.

 

Dutton scored a second consecutive #1 New York Times bestseller for Harlan Coben when it published Long Lost in March. Other major bestsellers for year included books by Jenny McCarthy, Raymond Khoury, John Lescroart, and Eric Jerome Dickey. The imprint also published Jonathan Tropper’s This Is Where I Leave You, which executive editor Ben Sevier turned into the most widely touted “buzz book” at BEA in May, and broke ground with innovative new publishing models that incorporate online components into novels, including DAEMON by Daniel Suarez.

 

Riverhead Books closed out the year with critical acclaim, as Maile Meloy’s highly praised story collection, Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It, was voted one of the New York Times Book Review’s “Top 10 Books of 2009.” Obama:The Historic Journey generated tremendous national media coverage and hit #3 on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list, where it stayed for three weeks. Walter Mosley introduced a new character and series with the New York Times bestselling The Long Fall. Nick Hornby scored another New York Times bestseller with Juliet, Naked. And this year continued the long-running success of trade paperback editions of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner as well as The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and Nick Hornby's Slam, which all stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for over four months each. Sarah Vowell’s The Wordy Shipmates and Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God also were New York Times trade paperback bestsellers in 2009.

 

The Berkley/NAL group had a record-breaking New York Times bestseller performance in 2009, landing 102 books on the bestseller lists across all formats. Berkley/NAL led the industry in mass market bestsellers with 77 books hitting the New York Times mass market fiction list. The group also scored 9 trade paperback bestsellers, had four #1 New York Times hardcover bestsellers, and scored its first young adult national bestseller with Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires (NAL) series hit the children’s series list.

 

Penguin scored 15 trade paperback New York Times bestsellers, up 50% over last year. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, all published by Penguin, remained on the list nearly all year long. Penguin also scored its first hardcover bestseller - The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama was on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list for five weeks, reaching a high of #7.

 

 

Plume has had noteworthy great successes this holiday season ranging from the bestselling Why We Suck by Denis Leary, which has been on the New York Times paperback nonfiction list for six weeks, to Leonard Maltin’s 2010 Movie Guide, which is now in its second week on the New York Times paperback advice, how-to and miscellaneous list. Perennial favorites that have continued to perform extremely well and still garner coverage into this season are City of Thieves by David Benioff, which was on and off the New York Times trade paperback fiction list for eight months in 2009, and was also chosen by Mitch Albom for the “Today” show's holiday picks, as well as the inspiring My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, which spent eleven weeks on the New York Times paperback nonfiction list this year.

 

Portfolio had its best year ever for New York Times bestsellers, with four titles hitting the list. Street Fighters by Kate Kelley; How Did this Happen and The Oz Principle both by Roger Connors and Tom Smith; as well as The Dollar Meltown by Charles Goyette all became New York Times bestsellers in 2009. In addition, quite a few books Portfolio published in 2008, including Tribes, Talent is Overrated, The Back of the Napkin, and The Go Giver, sold well through this entire year.

 

 

Sentinel achieved three New York Times bestsellers in 2009, with hit titles from Mike Huckabee. Do The Right Thing, originally published in 2008, spending three weeks on the hardcover nonfiction list in January (seven weeks total), and then reappeared on the trade nonfiction list when it came out in paperback in November. In addition, Huckabee's A Simple Christmas is in its fifth week on the hardcover nonfiction list, reaching as high as the #3 position.

 

Tarcher books tied into two major 2009 media phenomena. The premier publisher of books on 2012, Tarcher published John Major Jenkins’s The 2012 Story in October, successfully tying into the major motion picture release of 2012. In another major media event tie-in, Tarcher shipped thousands of units of both backlist stalwarts The Secret Teachings Of All Ages by Manly P. Hall and The Kybalion by the Three Initiates, two books mentioned by title in Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol.

 

 

Perigee continued to build on its “franchise” authors and series, setting up a pipeline of annual books that have a built-in audience, increasing brand recognition, steady sales, and ongoing media attention, including Keri Smith’s This is Not a Book; Dan Solin’s The Smartest Retirement Book You’ll Ever Read; Tom Nardone’s Extreme Halloween; and the latest entry in the Book of Useless Information series, all which received national recognition in 2009.

 

 

At Hudson Street Press, Dangerous or Safe? by Cara Natterson (October 2009) was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best health books of the year. And, The Meaning of Matthew by Judy Shepard is still selling, after the long-awaited Matthew Shepard Act was passed and signed by President Obama in October.

 

 

 

Avery started the year off strong with three health-related titles that add to Avery’s strength as a publisher of health books that sell well for the long term: New Rules for Lifting and New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe, M.S., and Alwyn Cosgrove were both published in January, and continue to sell after four and five printings, respectively. The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto was published in hardcover at the same time, and now has over 26,000 copies in print.

 

A Strong Year for Penguin Young Readers Group

The Penguin Young Readers Group achieved numerous success stories throughout 2009. Here are some of the highlights:

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher was on the New York Times children’s chapter book bestseller list for nearly all of 2009. Originally published by Razorbill in October 2007, with an initial printing of fewer than 20,000 copies, more than 456,300 copies of Thirteen Reasons Why have been shipped to date. Along for the Ride became Sarah Dessen’s first hardcover to debut in the top spot on The New York Times children’s chapter book list. The worldwide publication of the first approved sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh in more than 80 years received international attention, with Penguin Young Readers Group releasing Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, written by David Benedictus and illustrated by Mark Burgess, in the U.S. on October 5th. Penguin Young Readers Group’s Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead became the first U.S. book to incorporate Augmented Reality technology into the reading experience. Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Philomel) marked its 40th anniversary in 2009 and was featured as the Google logo on March 20th, when it was viewed by millions. The book was also this year’s “Read for the Record” pick and was read by a record-breaking 2 million readers in one day.

Six lucky and talented kids won $1,000 each at Mike Lupica’s “Million Dollar Throw Challenge” events, which recreated the title scene from the #1 New York Times bestselling author’s Philomel novel, Million-Dollar Throw. The children’s adaptation of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan sparked classroom discussions about the personal and global health implications of kids’ food choices. Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice, the fifth installment in Judy Schachner’s series about a Siamese kitty who thinks he is a sword fighting Chihuahua, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Llama Llama Misses Mama, the newest book in Anna Dewdney’s beloved series, spent 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list this year. The Siege of Macindaw, Book 6 of John Flanagan’s New York Times bestselling series, was launched in September with an interactive theatrical bus tour, featuring actors recreating scenes from the book in 26 cities. And Razorbill’s The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in the Fashion Industry has been a teen readers’ holiday favorite, serving as a link between style-conscious young women and the seemingly impenetrable fashion world.

DK’s Year Features First #1 New York Times Bestseller

DK had its first #1 New York Times bestseller ever when LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary topped the children’s picture book list in October. To launch the book, DK organized a whopping 65 events at bookstores and retailers across the country, all of which took place on October 10th. The LEGO excitement doesn’t end there: The two-volume LEGO Book also hit the New York Times advice, how-to, and miscellaneous list, giving DK two simultaneous bestsellers. These books, along with two other titles, Brickmasters—Pirate and Castle, had strong sales throughout the fall.

DK’s year began with the ongoing success of Dr. Laura Berman’s New York Times bestseller, Real Sex for Real Women. In January, she was a featured expert in Oprah’s “Live Your Best Life” series with a follow up webinar on Oprah.com. The book reappeared on the New York Times bestseller list and landed Dr. Berman her own radio show on Oprah Radio network. The author went on to appear on Dr. Oz’s new TV show when in launched in the fall and DK is looking forward to the publication of her Book of Love on February 14th.

New Online Launches in 2009

• Penguin Group (USA) launched its own online network called “From the Publisher’s Office,” with three channels featuring nine series of book entertainment for adults, young adults and children, in June, which was an online hit right out of the gate. With over 250,000 page views since the first season launched in June, “From the Publisher’s Office” has become a destination for readers who crave information about their favorite books and authors. In September, PGI launched Season Two of the series, with #1 New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Tomie dePaola and T. A. Barron among the stars of the Fall lineup, and a special video and minisite entitled "The Ten Essential Penguin Classics," which features ten classic titles that everyone should read.
  

  

• “Penguin Classics on Air,” a half-hour radio series devoted to the discussion and exploration of some of Penguin Classics’ more than 1,500 titles, debuted on Sirius XM Book Radio (Sirius #117, XM #163) in December. Written and produced entirely by Penguin employees, the show will air twice a week: on Mondays from 3:00pm to 3:30pm and on Thursdays from 11:30pm to midnight. “Penguin Classics on Air” can also be accessed on “From the Publisher’s Office.”
  

  

• The second annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award was launched by Amazon.com, Inc., and Penguin Group (USA). James King, author of Bill Warrington’s Last Chance, was named the winner of 2009’s contest at the end of May, with the book due to be published by Viking in 2010. To date, Penguin Group (USA) has published, or will be publishing, eleven novels by the contest’s contestants. The third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition will commence in January, and, for the first time, will award two grand prizes: one for general fiction and one for best young adult novel.

Penguin Group’s Global Walk a Worldwide Success

A team of 1,000 Penguin Group employees from offices around the world participated in the Penguin Global Walk on June 5, World Environment Day. Starting in Auckland, New Zealand, Penguin people walked around the clock, in Melbourne, Australia; Beijing, China; Delhi, India; Johannesburg, South Africa; London, England; Dublin, Ireland; New York, New York; and Toronto, Canada. The walkers tackled routes that varied from a half marathon route through London’s Royal parks to a path that encompassed part of the Great Wall of China.

Here in the US, employees raised over $31,000 for The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees Campaign. Led by Penguin Group (USA) CEO David Shanks, more than 200 Penguin Group (USA) employees braved heavy rain and wind to complete the four mile New York City leg, and employees in our Kirkwood, East Rutherford and Pittston locations walked at their locations to log their mileage. Many employees who weren't able to take part in the Walk still helped raise funds for the cause.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season!