BOOK BUZZ FROM USA TODAY
By Press Release - Jun 25 , 2009
McLEAN, VA – Here’s the latest book buzz from USA TODAY with a highlight of tomorrow’s Best-Selling Books list:
It’s a first for best-selling conservative commentator Glenn Beck: the No. 1 spot on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list. His new book Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine has 1.1 million copies in print. Beck’s novel The Christmas Sweater entered the list at No. 6 last November and remained in the top 50 for seven weeks. His 2007 best seller, An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World’s Biggest Problems which also peaked at No. 6 in hardcover, is out in paperback and moves up to No. 44. “What I think I’m tapping into is honesty. There’s a feeling Americans have that something is not right,” says Beck of his recent success. “Both (political) parties are taking us to a place that is absolutely unsustainable. Common sense has not gone out of style except in Washington.”
Young adult novels continue their hot ride on the list, with two new titles — one by The Hills’ star Lauren Conrad — making their debut in the top 20. Sarah Dessen’s ninth, Along for the Ride, about a teen spending the summer with her father, his new wife and baby, is No. 11, while Conrad’s first novel,L.A. Candy, about a teen starring on a TV reality show, is No. 17. “There’s definitely room for both of us,” says Dessen of sharing shelf space with the 23-year-old celebrity author. “Anything that brings people into bookstores is wonderful.” Despite the current obsession with cell phones and the Internet, “people still have a need for actual stories,” says Dessen, 39, who has sold 4 million copies of her books and is enjoying her highest debut on the list. “especially teen girls who like to find themselves in a story.” She credits J.K. Rowling for the rising popularity of YA novels. “Everyone — children, teens and adults — was reading Harry Potter. She made it OK to read outside of what was being marketed to you. YA benefited from that.”
For all the news from this week’s Best-Selling Books list, see Thursday’s editions of USA TODAY for the top 50 books or log onto www.top150.usatoday.com for the complete list of 150 best-selling books from last week.
USA TODAY’s list differs from other lists because the rankings are based solely on retail sales data from major chain and independent bookstores across the USA. Included are more than one million volumes from approximately 3,000 large-inventory, diverse-content bookstores. USA TODAY’s list shows readers what is selling across the whole range of books, not just what is selling by category. Hardcover, paperback, fiction and non-fiction are pooled together. USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list has been published each Thursday in the newspaper’s Life section since October 28, 1993.
USA TODAY was founded in 1982 with a mission to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Through its flagship newspaper and popular Web site, USA TODAY engages the national conversation and connects readers online through social media applications. USA TODAY, the nation’s top-selling newspaper with a total average daily circulation of more than 2.1 million, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper Web site which launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.8 million readers daily. The USA TODAY news and information brand also includes: USA TODAY Education, USA TODAY LIVE, USA TODAY Mobile, Open Air magazine and USATODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).
Alexandra Nicholson
Communications Manager
USA TODAY
(703) 854-5872
(703) 906-0697 mobile
anicholson_at_usatoday_dot_com
Twitter: @USATMediaLounge
