The Making of a Bestseller: “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”

By Lydia Hirt - Jul 01 , 2009

Books are a gamble. From purchasing a manuscript through editing and revisions, the author, publishing house, and agent must eagerly wait to see the public’s reaction. Will the book, so lovingly nurtured, appear on shelves to a resounding silence, only to be the victim of store returns and tear-jerking pulping? Or will the title appear with the hoped-for fanfare, acknowledgement, and sparkling reviews? Fiction is like black-jack: Exhilarating in the potential—disheartening when the chips are down, and astonishingly quick to go either way—heart-breaking or dream-realizing.

Even experienced Random House professionals Susan Kamil, SVP, Editor-in-Chief, and Jane Von Mehren, VP, Publisher, Trade Paperbacks, can’t guarantee the success of a manuscript, though they’re skilled at advanced marketing. Under their tutelage, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society earned recognition and a coveted place on the New York Times Bestseller List, where it still resides at the time of this publication.

Fiction is a hard genre in which to succeed, especially when penned by unknown authors and an admittedly odd title. These circumstances, along with the state of the economy and the complicated market, make the success of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society even more astounding and inspirational. The success of this title emphasizes two important things:

• Even in this down-trodden economy, people are still buying books in print
• Quality content is recognized

It’s easy to look at the astronomical sales figures for this title (already in its 8th printing for paperback alone) and forget the difficulties that arose. Sadly, author Mary Ann Shaffer became ill before editing was complete and turned the project over to her niece, children’s book author Annie Barrows. While the contract was with Shaffer, Kamil decided to stick with the project she’d grown to love, and was rewarded in kind.

Though Shaffer didn’t live to see her work published, Barrows did a wonderful job of conveying the dedication and passion that went into the weaving of the tale. The novel is communicated strictly through letters during the difficult setting of Europe post World War II, when people were still becoming reacquainted with peace and the after effects of war’s turmoil. Kamil was dedicated to the project and championed the work to her contacts. With this dedication, the first sign of future success came with a glowing blurb from bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert, of Eat, Pray, Love fame.

After selling upwards of 550,000 in hard cover, Von Mehren’s team made the controversial decision to publish the trade paperback before the standard 12 months was up. It was a strategic move that put the new edition in stores before Mother’s Day and was yet another gamble that paid off. Since the paperback arrived on shelves in May, Barrows has done her first author tour and never had an event with fewer than 200 attendees!

This is a good example of when a publishing powerhouse (Random House is the world’s largest English language trade publisher) supports a solid book and their editorial, marketing, sales, and publicity forces align—that the public reacts overwhelmingly positively in return. The novel comes alive through its website, videos on YouTube, author events, Guernsey cruises, the included Reader’s Guide, numerous reviews and—in my hopes—a future movie filled with the same love and quirkiness the novel provides!

The success of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a salve to book lovers everywhere and a band-aid over some of fiction’s disappointments. It proves that publishing can still thrive and traditional business models are adapting—–and with monetary as well as literary success.