HBG Big News This Week: March 12-16, 2018

Following is a recap of major news at Hachette Book Group for the week of March 12-16, 2018:

Bestsellers: HBG has 17 titles on the New York Times Bestseller list dated March 25, including two #1s—The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer (GCP) debuts at #1 on the Print Hardcover Fiction list. James Patterson’s All American-Murder (Little, Brown) remains at #1 on the Sports and Fitness (Monthly) list for the seventh consecutive week. HBG also has 8 titles on the USA Today bestseller list—see the full list here.

Little, Brown Spark: Tracy Behar’s new nonfiction imprint will be named Little, Brown Spark. In Tracy’s words, the imprint name was chosen “to reflect our mission to publish books that spark ideas, feelings, and change.” The imprint will focus on health, lifestyle, psychology, and science, and will launch in fall 2018.

Bancroft Prize: Louis Warren’s God’s Red Son: The Ghost Dance Religion and the Making of Modern America (Basic Books) has been named one of three winners of the 2018 Bancroft Prizes in American History and Diplomacy. Winners are judged in terms of “the scope, significance, depth of research, and richness of interpretation they present in the areas of American history and diplomacy,” and each receives $10,000.

TV news: Chris Hadfield’s You Are Here (Little, Brown) has been developed into a new series for National Geographic. The series, One Strange Rock, is directed by Darren Aronofsky, narrated by Will Smith, stars Chris Hadfield, and features several other astronauts. It will air on March 26.

James Beard Awards: HBG has three nominees for 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Awards—Emily Kaiser Thelin’s Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert’s Renegade Life (GCP Life & Style) has been nominated in the Writing category, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street: The New Home Cooking (Little, Brown) in the General category, and L,B author Vivian Howard in the hosting categories for her PBS series “A Chef’s Life.” Winners will be announced on April 27—see the full list of nominees here.

Major acquisition: LBYR announced the acquisition of We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai. The book will combine Malala’s own experiences with accounts she has heard while visiting refugee camps. The 20-year-old Pakistani activist for female education said that she hoped to show “the humanity behind the statistics.” LBYR will publish September 4, 2018.