Bestseller Stat Shot
In case you hadn’t heard, the Super Bowl was played last week, and the team from Seattle walked all over the team from Denver. Apparently, residents of both towns had football on their minds more than books—unit sales of print books dropped in both cities for the week leading up to the big game. Here’s a comparison of week-to-week sales in both Denver and Seattle for the same periods in 2014 and 2013.
From the Newsletters
Raunchy romance recommendations from novelist Victoria Dahl— just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Checking in on Half Bad, the big book of last year’s Bologna Book Fair, which has been sold in 42 countries and is being published in the states by Viking next month.
Tips for self-published authors looking to create cracking covers for their books.
The most-read review on publishersweekly.com last week was Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray).
Blogs
Ice-T narrating a Dungeons & Dragons audiobook? Yes. It happened.
Have we reached the tipping point for diversity in children’s books?
Authors
How long until California breaks off from the continent? John Dvorak, an earth scientist and author of Earthquake Storms (Pegasus), has an answer. (Don’t worry—it’s not soon.)
In Influx (Dutton), Daniel Suarez imagines a world in which the government suppresses technological innovation. We talk to him about secrecy, gravity mirrors, and why you don’t want too much power to be concentrated in the hands of your local bowling league.
Podcasts
PW comics reviews editor Heidi MacDonald recaps all the action from the Angoulême Comics Festival in France.
The Week Ahead
PW senior writer Andrew Albanese talks about the enduring popularity of the print cookbook, even in an age where you can find nearly any recipe you’d want with a quick Google search.
Listen to these and more at publishersweekly.com/podcasts
Events
Are publishing seasons irrelevant? Join us on Feb. 26 to find out. We’re hosting a panel discussion with PW co-editorial director Jim Milliot and executives from PGW and HarperCollins.
Webcasts
Common Core 101: Understanding the Basics
On Feb. 27, PW’s Cut to the Core contributing editors and librarians, Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna, will inform and educate librarians on the basics needed to implement the Common Core standards in their classrooms and libraries. It will also assist librarians with Common Core book selection, the collection development process, and assessments.
Hosts Rose Fox and Mark Rotella talk with Joshua Max Feldman about his debut novel, The Book of Jonah (Henry Holt). PW news editor Clare Swanson discusses PW’s new Meet the Editor series.
