This Week's Bestsellers: January 25, 2016

Name Check

Debuting at #1 in Hardcover Fiction, and #10 overall, My Name Is Lucy Barton is the new novel by Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize–winner for Olive Kitteridge. That 2008 book, though it had a modest start in hardcover, went on to sell more than a million units in trade paper and spawned a 2014 HBO miniseries starring Frances McDormand. Here’s a look at Strout’s first-week print unit sales for books published before and after key milestones.

(See all of this week's bestselling books.)

Hogan’s Financial Hero

With 69K print units sold, Retire Inspired by Chris Hogan is the #1 book in the country this week. If this author’s name is unfamiliar, despite his strong debut, you may recognize his publisher: Ramsey Press, as in the financial writer and broadcaster Dave Ramsey, whose The Total Money Makeover (Thomas Nelson) continues to sell a few thousand print units a week, over a decade after its publication.

Hogan’s book sold strongest in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn., which accounted for about 13% of sales. The next-biggest market was Phoenix, Ariz., which, according to a 2014 analysis of census data by personal finance information service NerdWallet, is the fastest-growing retirement area in the United States.

Finding an Audience

After the January 11 announcement that illustrator Sophie Blackall had won the Caldecott Medal for Finding Winnie, written by Lindsay Mattick, the book had its best sales week to date. Finding Winnie, which tells the story of how Mattick’s great-grandfather rescued the orphaned bear cub that later

inspired Winnie-the-Pooh, debuts on our Children’s Picture Book list at #15. It sold 4,898 print units this week, a 699% increase over the previous week, representing over a third of print units sold since the book’s October 2015 publication.

Although they didn’t make our lists, the Newbery and Printz Medalists also had their best weeks yet. Print unit sales of Matt de la Peña’s Last Stop on Market Street, illustrated by Christian Robinson, are up 677% over last week, and Bone Gap by Laura Ruby enjoyed a 264% bump.

New & Notable

The Name of God Is Mercy

#3 Hardcover Nonfiction; #7 overall
Pope Francis
17K print units

The first book written by Pope Francis during his papacy is a conversation with Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli, in which the pontiff affirms his vision for the Catholic church.

When Breath Becomes Air

Paul Kalanithi
#4 Hardcover Nonfiction
13.9K print units

In May 2013, Kalanithi, then a 36-year-old neurosurgical resident, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. In this posthumously published memoir (he died in 2015), he writes of life post-diagnosis—continuing his training, becoming a parent, and confronting his mortality.

The Only Pirate at the Party

Lindsey Stirling and Brooke S. Passey
#23 Hardcover Nonfiction
4,243 print units

Stirling’s YouTube videos of her choreographed electric violin performances have racked up 7.6 million subscribers. Her memoir delves into everything from her path to musical success to her battles with anorexia and depression. For a closer look at the social media star–turned–author phenomenon, and a sneak peek at forthcoming titles, look for our feature in the February 8 issue.

Top 10 Overall

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.