HBG Big News This Week: March 18-22, 2019

Following is a recap of major news at Hachette Book Group for the week of March 18-22, 2019:

Bestseller news: New to the New York Times bestseller list this week and charting high is The First Lady by James Patterson & Brendan DuBois (GCP/trade original), debuting at #3 on both the Combined P&E Fiction & Print Paperback Trade Fiction bestseller lists. HBG has 14 books on the NYT list and our distribution clients have four books on the list this week. See attached recap for all of our titles on the NYT, USA Today and ABA Indie bestseller lists.

RITA Awards: Forever has three finalists for the Romance Writers of America 2019 RITA Awards: The Bastard’s Bargain by Katee Robert (Romantic Suspense category), A Duke in the Night by Kelly Brown (Historical Romance: Short), and Saved by the Cowboy by A.J. Pine (Romance Novella). The RITAs are the highest award of distinction in romance fiction, see the full list of categories and finalists here.

Rick Steves news: Absolutely worth reading – this fantastic COVER profile in the New York Times Magazine, a glowing glimpse into the life and mission of Rick Steves, beloved Avalon author and “legendary PBS Superdork.” You don’t have to be a Ricknick – yes, that’s what his hard-core fans call themselves – to have a lot of fun reading this cover story.

Major launch: Harlan Coben launched his highly anticipated new novel Run Away (GCP) this week with an appearance on CBS This Morning on Tuesday (watch it here) and a great New York Times “What I Love” feature that will run in the Real Estate section of the paper this Sunday. Other big media hits include interviews on ABC’s Strahan & Sara, Salon TV, Howard Stern’s Wrap Up Show on Sirius XM, and Good Day New York, as well as print coverage in the Financial Times, Parade, USA Today, and Entertainment Weekly. Harlan will be busy promoting the new book on the road during a 15+ city tour that will run through mid-April.

Buzzworthy: Samira Ahmed’s novel Internment (LBYR) went on sale this week, riding a wave of pre-pub excitement (amazing starred reviews, multiple hits in Entertainment Weekly), leading right into glowing reviews and prime mentions in Bustle, Fast Company, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Mashable, PopSugar, and in an Associated Press feature on immigration novels which was picked up by the New York Times, ABC News, The Washington Post, and other venues. Still to come, a Real Simple feature in the April/May print issue and an 8-city tour through the end of the month.

Media blitz: national media is lining up for Janet Napolitano and her new book How Safe Are We?: Homeland Security Since 9/11 (PublicAffairs), on sale next Tuesday. Napolitano will make national TV appearances on NBC (Meet the Press), MSNBC (Morning Joe, Andrea Mitchell Reports, MSNBC Live with Katy Tur, Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, Live with Ali Velshi, 11thHour with Brian Williams, The Beat with Ari Melber), PBS (Amanpour & Co.), CNN (CNN New Day, CNN Right Now, and CNN Newsroom), and an interview on NPR’s 1A. The author will do 20+ events, kicking off on 3/25 with an instantly sold-out New York Public Library event with former VP Joe Biden that will be covered by the New York Times, New York magazine, and The Economist, among others.

NYTBR Cover (and more): Joan Biskupic’s The Chief (Basic Books) shares the cover of the New York Times Book Review with Evan Thomas’s First this Sunday. The author will make national media appearances on NPR (Fresh Air, Morning Edition, and On Point), CNN (The Lead with Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper 360, CNN New Day, CNN Newsroom, CNN Right Now), PBS (Washington Week), and C-SPAN (Book TV and Q&A). Reviews are forthcoming in the Wall Street Journal, New York Review of Books, and Washington Monthly.

All Love, All Voices: Forever launched their All Love, All Voices open submissions contest, to reinforce their commitment to an inclusive publishing program. The contest is geared to authors promoting diverse backgrounds and experiences through their works. Contest winners will have their manuscripts reviewed by Forever editors and considered for publication. Read more here.

Casting news: The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Millie Bobby Brown (Netflix’s Stranger Things) will star in the film adaptation of The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (LBYR). Reese Witherspoon will co-produce.