Politics-obsessed media may have less time for books this presidential election season, but there are 25% more titles than usual in our preview of fall’s biggest printings. In fiction, publishers are betting brand names will deliver needed escapism. Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, Nelson DeMille, Clive and Dirk Cussler and Stephen King all have million-plus printings. In nonfiction, many major franchises are back, with You: Looking Beautiful leading the list at two million copies, followed by Phil McGraw, Bill O’Reilly, Anne Coulter and Rachel Ray. Alice Schroeder’s authorized Warren Buffet bio and cable honcho Ted Turner’s memoirs both launch with a cool million. But in literary fiction and nonfiction, Toni Morrison, Annie Proulx, John Krakauer, Marilynne Robinson and Kathleen Norris shine in thinner ranks.
September| September 2 |The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer (Grand Central, $25.99). 500,000 copies.Dark Curse by Christine Feehan (Berkley, $24.95). 250,000 copies.They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It by Brigitte Gabriel (St. Martin’s, $24.95). 250,000 copies.Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain (Minotaur, $24.95). 200,000 copies.The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success by Marcus Buckingham (Thomas Nelson, $29.99). 150,000 copies.The Night of the Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life, His Own. by David Carr (Simon & Schuster, $26). 150,000 copies.Sinner by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson, $24.99). 130,000 copies.Nothing to Be Frightened Of by Julian Barnes (Knopf, $24). 100,000 copies.Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene (Knopf, $19.95). 100,000 copies.Home: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson (FSG, $25), 75,000 copies| September 3 |The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent (Little, Brown, $24.99). 150,000 copies.Supreme Courtship: A Novel by Christopher Buckley (Grand Central/Twelve, $24.99). 125,000 copies.| September 8 |Against Medical Advice by James Patterson (Little, Brown, $26.99). 800,000 copies.| September 9 |Breakthrough: The Changing Face of Medicine by Suzanne Somers (Crown, $25.95). 600,000 copies.21 Nights by Prince (Atria, $50). 500,000 copies.The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone, $25.95). 300,000 copies.Anathem by Neil Stephenson (Morrow, $29.95). 250,000 copies.The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine, $26). 200,000 copies.Bob Schieffer’s America by Bob Schieffer (Putnam, $24.95). 175,000 copies.Fine Just the Way It Is by Annie Proulx (Scribner, $25). 150,000 copies.Straight from the Source: An Exposé from the Former Editor-in-Chief of the Hip-Hop Bible by Kim Osorio (MTV/VH1, $24.95). 125,000 copies.Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom (Doubleday Business, $24.95). 100,000 copies.| September 16 |Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Absolutely Worst Days of Your Life by Dr. Phil McGraw (Free Press, $26). One million copies.Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Tor, $27.95). 250,000 copies.Star Wars: Order 66 by Karen Traviss (Del Rey, $27). 150,000 copies.Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life by Kathleen Norris (Riverhead, $25.95). 150,000 copies.The Forever War by Dexter Filkins (Knopf, $25). 150,000 copies.The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America by James Bamford (Doubleday, $26.95). 125,000 copies.Liberty: A Lake Wobegon Novel by Garrison Keillor (Viking, $25.95). 115,000 copies.Goldengrove by Francine Prose (HarperCollins, $24.95). 100,000 copies.Indignation by Philip Roth (Houghton Mifflin, $26). 100,000 copies.Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman (Scribner, $24). 100,000 copies.Unintended Consequences by Peter Galbraith (Simon & Schuster, $26). 100,000 copies.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf, $24.95). 100,000 copies.| September 23 |A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity: A Memoir by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway, $26). 1 million copies.Before You Do by T.D. Jakes (Atria, $25). 500,000 copies.Heat Lightning by John Sandford (Putnam, $26.95). 500,000 copies.The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (Morrow, $27.95). 400,000 copies.Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods (Putnam, $25.95). 350,000 copies.Night of Thunder by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster, $26). 200,000 copies.A Promise to Ourselves: Fatherhood, Divorce, and Family Law by Alec Baldwin (St. Martin’s, $24.95). 200,000 copies.The Pritikin Edge: 10 Essential Ingredients for a Long and Delicious Life by Dr. Robert Vogel and Paul Tager Lehr (Simon & Schuster, $24). 175,000 copies.Tsar by Ted Bell (Atria, $26.95). 150,000 copies.Pieces of My Heart by Robert Wagner (HarperEntertainment, $25.95). 150,000 copies.T.O.’s Finding Fitness: Making the Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection for Total Health by Terrell Owens with Buddy Primm and Courtney Parker; intro. by Jerry Rice (Simon & Schuster, $26). 150,000 copies.The Legs Are the Last to Go: Aging, Acting, Marrying, and Other Things I Learned the Hard Way by Diahann Carroll (HarperCollins/Amistad, $24.95). 100,000 copies.Planet Google: How One Company’s All-Encompassing Vision Is Transforming Our Lives by Randall Stross (Free Press, $26). 100,000 copies.The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon, $22.95). 100,000 copies.Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds by Jenny McCarthy (Dutton, $24.95).| September 28 |Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Get Great Flavors from Simple Ingredients by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $35). 800,000 copies.| September 29 |The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder (Bantam, $30). One million copies.| September 30 |The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central, $24.99). 1.5 million copies.Giada’s Kitchen: New Everyday Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis (Clarkson Potter, $32.50). 600,000 copies.A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber (Mira, $16.95). 375,000 copies.A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (Bantam Spectra, $30). 350,000 copies.The Letters by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger (Bantam, $22). 200,000 copies.Resilience: Faith, Focus, Triumph by Alonzo Mourning with Dan Wetzel (Ballantine, $26). 150,000 copies.Rebound Rules by Rick Pitino (Collins, $25.95). 150,000 copies.Toxic Fat: When Good Fat Turns Bad by Dr. Barry Sears (Thomas Nelson, $24.99). 150,000 copies.This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman (Holt, $23). 150,000 copies.In Step with God, Understanding His Ways and Plans for Your Life by Charles F. Stanley (Thomas Nelson, $19.99). 125,000 copies.October
| October 1 |
Titanic’s Last Secrets: The Further Adventures of Shadow DiversJohn Chatterton and Richie Kohler by Brad Matsen (Grand Central/Twelve, $27.99). 200,000 copies.
| October 7 |
Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam, $26.95). 1.5 million copies.
Untitled by Ann Coulter (Crown Forum, $27.95). One million copies.
Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole by Victoria Osteen (Free Press, $24.99). 750,000 copies.
A Member of The Family: Cesar Millan’s Guide to a Lifetime of Fulfillment with Your Dog by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier (Harmony, $25.95). 750,000 copies.
Finding Grace by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster, $19.95). 500,000 copies.
A Most Wanted Man by John le Carré (Scribner, $28). 300,000 copies.
John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman (Ecco, $34.95). 200,000 copies.
Called Out of Darkness by Anne Rice (Knopf, $23.95). 200,000 copies.
More Fast Food My Way by Jacques Pépin (Houghton Mifflin, $32). 150,000 copies.
Queen Takes King by Gigi Levangie Grazer (Simon & Schuster, $25). 150,000 copies.
Rich Brother, Rich Sister: Two Remarkable Paths to Financial and Spiritual Happiness by Robert Kiyosaki & Emi Kiyosaki (Perseus/Vanguard, $24.95). 150,000 copies.
Tales from the Dad Side by Steve Doocy (Morrow, $25.95). 150,000 copies.
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell (Riverhead, $24.95). 125,000 copies.
Chef Jeff Cooks by Jeff Henderson (Scribner, $27). 125,000 copies.
The Black List by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Elvis Mitchell (Atria, $29.95). 100,000 copies.
Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson (Dutton, $25.95).
| October 8 |
The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: The Things to Know by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz (Collins, $14.95). 300,000 copies.
| October 14 |
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, $26.99). 750,000 copies.
Midnight by Sister Souljah (Atria, $26). 500,000 copies.
The Hero by Jon Krakauer (Doubleday, $26). 500,000 copies.
Here’s the Story by Maureen McCormick (Harper Entertainment, $25.95). 300,000 copies.
The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster, $26). 300,000 copies.
A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas (St. Martin’s, $16.95). 300,000 copies.
Become a Better You Daily Readings: 90 Devotions for Improving Your Life Every Day by Joel Osteen (Free Press, $22). 250,000 copies.
The Fire by Katherine Neville (Ballantine, $26). 200,000 copies.
American Prince: A Memoir by Tony Curtis and Peter Golenbock (Harmony, $25.95). 200,000 copies.
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America’s Favorite Medical Examiner by Jan Garavaglia, M.D. (Crown, $24.95). 150,000 copies.
Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home that Makes You Happy by Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello and Dara Caponigro (Simon & Schuster, $32). 150,000 copies.
Don’t Mind if I Do: A Memoir by George Hamilton and William Stadiem (Touchstone, $26). 150,000 copies.
I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass (Pantheon, $24). 125,000 copies.
| October 21 |
Dark Summer by Iris Johansen (St. Martin’s, $24.95). 650,000 copies.
Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart (Clarkson Potter, $45). 450,000 copies.
Testimony by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown, $25.99). 400,000 copies.
Rough Weather: A Spenser Novel by Robert B. Parker (Putnam, $25.95). 250,000 copies.
Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover (Del Rey, $27). 150,000 copies.
Spain... a Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow (Ecco, $34.95). 150,000 copies.
The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever by Frank Gifford (HarperCollins, $25.95). 100,000 copies.
More Information than You Require by John Hodgman (Dutton, $24).
The Way I Am by Eminem (Dutton, $40).
| October 28 |
The Gate House by Nelson DeMille (Grand Central, $27.99). 1.3 million copies.
Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn (Atria, $27.95). 750,000 copies.
A Good Woman by Danielle Steel (Delacorte, $27). 650,000 copies.
Bones by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine, $27). 350,000 copies.
The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: The Things to Know by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden (Collins, $14.95). 300,000 copies.
The 50th Law by Robert Greene and Curtis Jackson (MTV/VH1, $26). 200,000 copies.
The Widows of Eastwick by John Updike (Knopf, $24.95). 200,000 copies.
Alex & Me by Irene Pepperberg (Collins, $24.95). 150,000 copies.
A McKettrick Christmas by Linda Lael Miller (Harlequin/HQN, $16.95). 134,000 copies.
Warren Buffett and the Interpretation of Financial Statements by Mary Buffett and David Clark (Scribner, $25). 125,000 copies.
| October 30 |
The Darwin Awards Next Evolution: Chlorinating the Gene Pool by Wendy Northcutt (Dutton, $19.95).
November
| November 4 |
Divine Justice by David Baldacci (Grand Central, $26.99). 850,000 copies.
Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb (Putnam, $25.95). 600,000 copies.
Paula Deen’s Recipe Journal by Paula Deen (Simon & Schuster, $26). 350,000 copies.
Conspirata by Robert Harris (Simon & Schuster, $26). 250,000 copies.
Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine, $26). 200,000 copies.
My Word Is My Bond by Sir Roger Moore (Collins, $27.95). 200,000 copies.
Jesus: A Story of the Man Who Would Become Christ by Deepak Chopra (HarperOne, $24.95). 150,000 copies.
Untitled Rickles Letters by Don Rickles (Simon & Schuster, $25). 150,000 copies.
Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H.W. Brands (Doubleday, $35). 125,000 copies.
Lyrics 1964—2006 by Paul Simon (Simon & Schuster, $35). 125,000 copies.
Jesus Is My All in All: Praying with the “Saint of Calcutta” by Mother Teresa (Doubleday Religion, $9/95). 100,000 copies.
| November 10 |
Call Me Ted by Ted Turner with Bill Burke (Grand Central/Business Plus, $30). One million copies.
| November 11 |
You: Being Beautiful by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press, $26.95). Two million copies.
Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner, $28). 1.25 million copies.
Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book: Her Favorite All-New 30-Minute Meals, Veggie Meals, Holiday Menus, Dinners-for-One, Kosher Meals, Rollover Menus, and Much, Much More! by Rachael Ray (Clarkson Potter, $29.95). One million.
The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck (Threshold, $19.95). 750,000 copies.
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb (HarperCollins, $29.95). 500,000 copies.
A Mercy by Toni Morrison (Knopf, $23.95). 300,000 copies.
Born Country: My Life in Alabama: How Faith, Family, and Music Brought Me Home by Randy Owen (HarperOne, $25.95). 250,000 copies.
Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card (Tor, $25.95). 250,000 copies.
The Daily Coyote: A Year with Charlie by Shreve Stockton (Simon & Schuster, $26). 100,000 copies.
| November 14 |
Through the Wire by Kanye West (Atria, $18). 100,000 copies.
| November 17 |
Cross Country by James Patterson (Little, Brown, $27.99). 1.5 million.
| November 18 |
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown, $27.99). 750,000 copies.
The Private Patient by P.D. James (Knopf, $25.95). 300,000 copies.
Looking for Lincoln: A Bicentennial Album by Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt and Peter W. Kunhardt Jr. (Knopf, $50). 150,000 copies.
Dying for Revenge by Eric Jerome Dickey (Dutton, $25.95).
| November 24 |
Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity by Michael Lewis (Norton, $27.95). 100,000 copies.
| November 25 |
Arctic Drift: A Dirk Pitt Novel by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam, $27.95). 1.25 million copies.
Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz (Bantam, $27). 750,000 copies.
Crossroads by Belva Plain (Delacorte, $26). 100,000 copies.
December
| December 2 |
Cruel Intent by J.A. Jance (Touchstone, $25.95). 250,000 copies.
| December 9 |
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough (Simon & Schuster, $26). 150,000 copies.
The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry (Ballantine, $26). 350,000 copies.
The Treasure by Iris Johansen (Bantam, $25). 250,000 copies.
| December 23 |
The Real Book of Real Estate by Robert Kiyosaki (Perseus/Vanguard, $29.95). 150,000 copies.
| December 30 |
Black Ops: A Presidential Agent Novel by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam, $26.95). 400,000 copies.
Deeper than the Dead by Tami Hoag (Bantam, $26). 350,000 copies.
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam, $24.95). 250,000 copies.
Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin (Threshold, $25). 250,000 copies.
The Great Crash of 2010: How to Survive and Thrive in the Coming Hard Times by Harry S. Dent (Free Press, $27). 150,000 copies.
