Chart Toppers for 2009... So Far

Coming off a record year and in the middle of a recession, it was thought that the Hachette Book Group would have a difficult time matching 2008's performance this year. According to Nielsen BookScan data for the first half of 2009, the star publisher of last year has more than a fighting chance of retaining its status this year. The company had 12 of the top 30 bestsellers in the fiction, nonfiction and juvenile categories. The names leading the way for Hachette are familiar—James Patterson, David Baldacci, Malcolm Gladwell and, of course, Stephenie Meyer. Random House placed five books on the list and Abrams, thanks to Jeff Kinney, placed four. Penguin was the only other publisher to see more than one title on the lists.

While the top 10 lists are full of brand-name authors, there are some surprises. Despite the hoopla Watchmen received because of the movie adaptation—the film bowed in March and, despite a roughly $100 million domestic haul, didn't meet Hollywood expectations—who expected to see the graphic novel perched at #3 on a general fiction list? The Shack, continuing its Cinderella run on the bestseller lists, is the kind of book that keeps on giving. Brad Cummings, publisher and president of Windblown (the small Christian startup Hachette struck a co-pub deal with), said there are currently 7.8 million copies of the book in print, and the title is continuing to move on what broke it out: word of mouth. “This book has bucked all the trends from the beginning,” he told PW. “I didn't initially have a marketing campaign, and what's so amazing is this little book came out of oblivion.... I've been resistant to a big marketing [campaign] because I feel like I don't need to do much.”

Word of mouth also seems to be the X-factor with two of the long-selling nonfiction titles—Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture and Greg Mortensen's Three Cups of Tea. Vivien Jennings at Rainy Day Books in Fairway, Kans., pointed out that Mortensen's book got a push from Penguin's coordinated publishing of tie-in adaptations—a young readers edition and an illustrated children's book—creating “this tremendous synergy.” Jennings said both books are still selling because people recommend them to, and buy them for, friends and family. “It is word of mouth... it's ripple, ripple, ripple [and] it's going to be going on for a long time.”

Steve Harvey was the surprise #1 seller on the nonfiction list. Dawn Davis, v-p and editorial director at Amistad, said over one million copies of the dating guide have sold since it bowed in late January. Admitting that the title “exceeded initial expectations,” Davis said Harvey, who hosts a syndicated morning radio show broadcast in over 50 markets (and still tours doing standup), may have initially sold to his core urban audience, but that's changed. Appearances on Oprah, Ellen, The View and other talk shows—as well as repeated on-air plugs (and continued bookstore appearances scheduled to coincide with his comedy shows)—have helped tremendously.

Another nonfiction book doing quite well is Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide. The third entry in authors David Zinczenko and Matt Gouldin's series was, according to Beth Lamb at Rodale, expected to do well. Nonetheless the title has been outpacing the original; Lamb said there are two million copies in print of Eat This, Not That! (which came out in December 2007) and, already, 1.2 million copies of Supermarket Survival Guide (which bowed in December 2008). Noting that Rodale has pushed the book hard—Lamb cited co-op at all the major retailers along with various New Year's-timed promotions—the title is also unusually timely for a diet book. “Right now I think people want to stay at home and avoid going out to restaurants,” Lamb said, making a guide to supermarket-shopping slightly more attractive than usual.

If the last shocker is The Love Dare—a book that came into being after it appeared as a plot device in Fireproof, the independently released Christian film starring Kirk Cameron (which, incidentally, was one of the highest grossing indie films of 2008)—you haven't been looking closely enough at the bestseller lists. Coauthors (and co-screenwriters/producers) Stephen and Alex Kendrick crashed the book after viewers emerged from screenings of the film asking where they could buy it. (In the film, Cameron's character and his wife use the book as a guide to save their crumbling marriage.) Now B&H cites over three million copies in print.

Top Fiction Bestsellers, January - June

Top Children's Bestsellers, January—June

Top Nonfiction Bestsellers, January—June