Baldacci's Saving
A shocking murder plot forms the core of today's new #1 fiction bestseller, as a powerful cabal of CIA agents plans to knock off a major government witness. Saving Faith, the fifth political thriller by David Baldacci, was published by Warner Books on November 9 with a 600,000-copy first printing. (Judging by our numbers, sales for this former trial and corporate lawyer™s books could well be climbing: The Simple Truth spent 11 weeks on our hardcover list but reached only the #2 spot; the mass market edition makes its sixth appearance today.) Baldacci, who was the subject of a Washington Post front-page "Style" feature last Wednesday ("Book Party in a Back Room"), has a number of publicity events on his docket for the next few weeks, including a Barnes & Noble signing today in Alexandria, Va., and several other stops in the Washington, D.C. area. He made a live appearance on CNNfn™s Biz Buzz on November 10, and feature interviews are planned for Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
And Hillerman™s Hunting
Yet another shocking murder -- this one combined with a seemingly perfect theft -- is the catalyst that re-unites Jim Chee and J Leaphorn in Tony Hillerman™s Hunting Badger, which debuts at #6 on PW's fiction list. The HarperCollins release (pub date: November 9) marks the 13th outing for these Navajo crimebusters -- and the 22nd book by their megaselling creator. Hillerman, known for incorporating Southwestern history and culture into his novels, blends contemporary headlines into his latest, drawing on a 1998 episode in which the killers of a Colorado police officer eluded a clumsy FBI search. The author is past president of the Mystery Writers of America; his many honors include their Edgar (for Dance Hall of the Dead) and Grand Master Awards. Hillerman™s many fans will be pleased to know that he™s currently penning his memoirs. After four trips back to press, Badger has 360,000 copies in print.
The High-Priced Spreads
It looks like a very good holiday season for illustrated gift books. Already there are three higher-price tomes right below the top 15 nonfiction bestsellers this week, and this activity is happening more than a month before the shopping reaches full throttle. Little, Brown's Bullfinch Press $60 title, LIFE: Our Century in Pictures edited by Time senior editorial advisor Richard Stolley leads the pack with 475,000 copies in print after a 325,000-copy first printing. Sports is the main theme in the other two runners-up. From Sourcebooks, And the Crowd G s Wild is a $49.95 book/CD combination celebrating the great sporting moments of the century; there are now 500,000 copies in print after a first printing of 200,000. From Hyperion comes ESPN SportsCentury (the sports fan™s coffee-table gift of the century, according to some reviews); the $40 book has 207,000 copies in print and went out with a 175,000 first printing. Watch this column next week for more details on all three books.
Heat-Moon Shines
Bestselling author William Least Heat-Moon is back on the charts with River Horse, #12 on PW's list with 170,000 copies in print after three trips to press; Houghton Mifflin™s first printing was 140,000. Reviews have been stellar, including a starred one in PW. The author is in the midst of an 18-city tour, traveling East to West, following the route of his cross-country boat journey, described in River Horse. First stop was in Heat-Moon's hometown of Columbia, Mo., where his favorite restaurant hosted a party and book signing that raised money for Scenic Missouri, an environmental organization, and for the University of Missouri Library, where Heat-Moon did much of his research. His first bestseller, Blue Highways, was published in 1983 and stayed on the national charts for nearly a year; paper and hardcover sales totaled more than 1.5 million copies. His next bestseller, PrairyErth, published in 1991, was on the charts for more than three months and sold more than a quarter-million hardcover and paperback copies.
With reporting by Dick Donahue.
