The Mindy Book Project
The #1 book in the country is Why Not Me?, a hardcover collection of autobiographical essays by actor and comedian Mindy Kaling, with 37.6K print units sold. Her earlier memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns), pubbed in 2011, during her final season as a regular on The Office; that book debuted with almost 11K print units sold and went on to sell 116K in hardcover. The paperback pubbed in September 2012, shortly before The Mindy Project premiered on Fox, and has sold 518K to date. The same day that Why Not Me? pubbed, The Mindy Project began its fourth season, and its first on Hulu.
(See all of this week's bestselling books.)
Healthy Sales
In 2012, sisters Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett self-published Trim Healthy Mama, a faith-based diet plan weighing in at a hefty 642 pages. It sold 106K print units and spawned branded products including skin cleansers, moisturizers, and sugar alternatives. This week, two new books by the duo, both published by Crown imprint Harmony, debut at #2 and #7 on our Trade Paperback list. Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook sold 18K print units, and Trim Healthy Mama Plan, a slimmed-down version of the 2012 self-pubbed title, sold 14.5K print units.
The Fates Are Smiling
Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies debuts at #9 on our Hardcover Fiction list, with almost 11.5K print units sold. This is the strongest start by far for Goff, a much-lauded author of literary fiction with two previous novels and a short-story collection under her belt; her most recent work, 2012’s Arcadia, sold just 1,232 print units its first week. Her new effort has benefitted from considerable buzz: in addition to our starred review, the New York Times ran two prepublication reviews, and the novel was named to the longlist for the National Book Award in fiction two days after it pubbed.
Notable Debuts
Killing the Messenger
by David Brock
#4 Hardcover Nonfiction
11K print units
Brock, a conservative journalist who swung to the other side, offers a new book that details, as the subtitle suggests, “the right-wing plot to derail Hillary and hijack your government.”
The Art of Memoir
by Mary Karr
#12 Hardcover Nonfiction
5,715 print units
The author of the memoirs Cherry, The Liar’s Club, and Lit offers, as PW’s starred review phrased it, “her wisdom in this instructive guide to the genre.”
It’s Your World
by Chelsea Clinton
Children’s Nonfiction (not ranked)
4,797 print units
In this guide to doing good, the former first daughter tackles subjects ranging from poverty and gender equality to endangered species and climate change.
The Marvels
by Brian Selznick
#7 Children’s Frontlist Fiction
5,386 print units
Selznick, a Caldecott Medalist and National Book Award finalist for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, delivers his latest illustrated novel for middle-grade readers.
Total Marketing Makeover
The 2013 edition of Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover is the #3 book in the country, with 30K print copies sold—or 12 times as many as it sold last week—thanks to a major promotion on Ramsey’s syndicated radio show, his website, and in other media.
Top 10 Overall
| Rank | Title | Author | Imprint | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why Not Me? | Mindy Kaling | Crown Archetype | 37,640 |
| 2 | The Girl in the Spider’s Web | David Lagercrantz | Knopf | 30,669 |
| 3 | The Total Money Makeover | Dave Ramsey | Thomas Nelson | 30,121 |
| 4 | Make Me | Lee Child | Delacorte | 29,712 |
| 5 | The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up | Marie Kondo | Ten Speed | 27,277 |
| 6 | Devoted in Death | J.D. Robb | Putnam’s | 26,964 |
| 7 | Gray Mountain | John Grisham | Dell | 24,226 |
| 8 | The Martian | Andy Weir | Broadway | 24,175 |
| 9 | Go Set a Watchman | Harper Lee | Harper | 19,494 |
| 10 | Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook | Barrett/Allison | Harmony | 18,194 |
All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.
