Bestseller Stat Shot
The Duck Dynasty empire rolls on. Si Robertson, a member of the extravagantly bearded Robertson clan, who struck it rich in the duck call business and then got famous thanks to a reality TV show, is the latest member of the family to hit the bestseller lists. His Si-Cology 1 (Howard) debuts at #1 on this week’s Hardcover Nonfiction list. It follows close behind Phil Robertson’s Happy, Happy, Happy (Howard), which had a lengthy run atop the same list for most of the summer, and is now nestled at #3. And of course, there’s also Willie & Korie Robertson’s original Duck Dynasty book, The Duck Commander Family (Howard), which is at #5 on the nonfiction list. Here are the to-date sales of each title.
Happy, Happy, Happy: 452,432
The Duck Commander Family: 359,449
Si-Cology 1: 70,373
Blogs
ShelfTalker
A massive compilation of all the books that have been starred by all of the children’s book review journals so far this year. You’ll want to bookmark it.
PWxyz
A new book goes behind the William S. Burroughs myth, chronicling the writer’s time in Mexico—including the night he shot his wife.
Podcasts
LitCast
Adrian Magson, whose ex-MI5 operative hero Harry Tate is pitted against Russian assassins in Execution (Severn House), talks international intrigue and more.
KidsCast
Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney discusses The Tortoise & the Hare, his latest adaptation of a classic tale.
The Week Ahead
It was a hot summer for many indie bookstores, reports PW senior writer Andrew Albanese. But are publishers facing a new challenge from big-box retailers, which see low e-book prices as a threat to print sales?
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Authors
Debora L. Spar, Barnard College president and author of Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection (FSG/Sarah Crichton), talks about how the idea of “having it all” got distorted.
Journalist Bill McKibben, whose Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist (Times) is just out, talks about what we can learn from honeybees.
Events
For the Love of Romance
Join Barbara Vey and editors from Harlequin, Sourcebooks, and Kensington on Sept. 17 for a lively webcast about romance novels, what makes a great heroine, how the rise of erotica is affecting the romance category, and more.
Discussion Series: The New Publishing Jobs Market and 2013 Salary Survey
Are you earning what you should be? Join us as PW co-editorial director Jim Milliot analyzes the results of our annual salary survey at the next PW discussion panel, on Sept. 25. Register here.
PW Radio
Al Jourgensen, the massively tattooed and pierced front man of seminal industrial metal band Ministry, talks about his memoir, Ministry: The Lost Gospel According to Al Jourgensen (Da Capo). Plus, PW senior reviews editor Peter Cannon reports on NecronomiCon Providence 2013, the H.P. Lovecraft convention. Listen here.
Newsletters
Tip Sheet
The most evil characters in literature, as picked by Koren Zailckas, whose new book, Mother, Mother (Crown) features a mom to rival Mrs. Bates.
Children’s Bookshelf
Good news for Beautiful Creatures fans—the authors are hard at work on a spinoff series. The first installment—an e-novella called Dangerous Dream (Little, Brown)—is set to be released in December.
Cooking the Books
Restaurateur Scott Conant discusses his latest cookbook, The Scarpetta Cookbook (HMH), and how readers can re-create the rustic Italian experience at home.
Comics World
The story of Zip Comics’ relaunch as Z2, and its ambitious plans going into 2014 and beyond.
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The most-read review on publishersweekly.com last week was The Circle by Dave Eggers (Knopf/McSweeney’s).
