On Thursday, Abrams/Amulet revealed the cover and title of Jeff Kinney’s 11th volume in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down, goes on sale November 1, 2016. Kinney joined an exuberant crowd of fans in New York City during a live webcast in partnership with Scholastic Reading Club. An estimated one million viewers worldwide tuned in for the unveiling, which was also streamed live in Kinney’s bookstore, An Unlikely Story, in Plainville, Mass. The intense red cover features bold yellow striping and a special cheese font that highlights the “cheese touch,” a popular element from the books.
“Greg Heffley has always believed there was something that set him apart from everyone else. In the new book, Greg discovers what makes him unique, and it’s not at all what he expected,” Kinney said in a statement. “After the 10th book, I found myself at a crossroads in my career. I wasn’t sure if I should continue writing Diary of a Wimpy Kid books or go down a different path. Double Down is really special to me, because it reflects a renewed commitment to the series and a plan for the future.”
Michael Jacobs, president and CEO of Abrams, said “We look forward with even more enthusiasm to the 10th anniversary of the series in 2017.” There are currently more than 165 million copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in print globally.
Today’s reveal wraps up the third annual Wimpy Kid Month, which began on April 1 with a multifaceted campaign that included national publicity and advertising, dedicated retail promotions, and more. Special appearances by Kinney included a presentation to more than 1000 librarians at the Texas Library Association conference in Houston earlier this month. He also attended the debut of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical in Minneapolis, the first theatrical interpretation of the books. It opened to rave reviews in mid-April and has been extended for an additional eight weeks. Kinney will continue his global tour throughout 2016 to build excitement for book 11. Jacobs added in the release, “This unprecedented global release promises to be the biggest book and book event of the year around the world. Diary of a Wimpy Kid continues to turn millions of kids on to reading everywhere.”
