Amulet Books is going five for five— five million copies for the fifth book in Jeff Kinney’s bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The Abrams imprint announced both that massive first printing figure today as well as the title, cover, and release date for the new book. The book, The Ugly Truth, has a national laydown of November 9; the print run is the largest for the series to date.
“To me, the fifth book is the linchpin of the series,” said Kinney in a statement. “Since Greg Heffley is a cartoon character but also a literary character, I’ve always wondered if he should grow up or stay in a state of arrested development forever. This book answers that question once and for all.”
Amulet is also releasing a box set of the first four books in the series in September. A Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie appeared in theaters this past March (accompanied by a movie companion book from Kinney), and grossed nearly $64 million in the U.S.; a second film, based on the book Rodrick Rules, is planned for March 25, 2011. More than 35 million Wimpy Kid books are in print in the U.S., and the books are available in more than 30 countries.
