HBG Big News This Week: May 14-18, 2018
Following is a recap of major news at Hachette Book Group for the week of May 14-18, 2018:
Bestsellers: HBG has 16 titles on the New York Times Bestseller list dated May 27, including three at #1—The 17th Suspect by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown) remains at #1 on both the Print Hardcover Fiction and Combined Print & Ebook Bestsellers lists. Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmieri (Grand Central) is in the #1 position on the Business Bestsellers (Monthly) list. HBG’s client publishers have five titles on the list this week, including one #1—Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo with Jill Twiss (Chronicle) remains at #1 on the Children’s Bestsellers (Picture Books) list. HBG also has 10 titles on the USA Today bestseller list, see the full list here.
Novel Suspects: Just launched this week, Novel Suspects is HBG’s new online community for readers who love all things mystery/thriller. Novel Suspects will feature movies, TV shows, and podcasts, but the centerpiece will be the very best books in the genre—from HBG as well as all other publishers! Check out the cool website and Facebook page, and don’t forget to sign up for the weekly newsletter.
Patterson philanthropy: For the fifth year in a row, James Patterson is re-upping his commitment to indie bookstores and booksellers, pledging a significant personal contribution of $250,000 so that individual booksellers can enjoy holiday bonuses. In making the announcement, Patterson said, “I’m humbled to hear that [the bonuses] make a difference in [booksellers’] lives. And I’m grateful to be able to acknowledge the important work booksellers do.”
Harper Lee Prize: Testimony by Scott Turow (GCP) is a finalist for the eighth annual 2018 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, given by the American Bar Association. The prize is given to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change. Public voting for the award allows fans to act as the fifth “judge” on the selection committee, so see the full release and vote for Testimony here on the ABA Journal’s website.
Acquisition news: Little, Brown announced the acquisition of Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Ronan Farrow’s new investigative book, Catch and Kill, which will continue his stunning reporting on sexual misconduct and the machine deployed by powerful men to silence survivors of abuse and threaten reporters chasing those survivors’ stories. News of the acquisition was widely covered: Fox News, CNN, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, US News and World Report, Jezebel, and many other venues.