HBG Big News This Week: September 30-October 4, 2019

Following is a recap of major news at Hachette Book Group for the week of September 30-October 4, 2019:

#1 Audio:  Hachette Audio’s Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell debuts at #1 on the New York Times audio bestseller list this week. The New York Times just re-introduced their monthly Mass Market list, and HBG has two books on that list, Juror #3 by James Patterson and Nancy Allen (Vision) at #5 and Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch (Back Bay/LB) at #9.

BPL Prize: N.K. Jemisin’s How Long ‘Til Black Future Month (Orbit) is a shortlist nominee for the 2019 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for fiction and poetry.

Major launch: Chris Colfer hit the road to promote his new novel, A Tale of Magic (LBYR), with an 8-city tour and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, BuzzFeed’s AM2DM,NBC’s New York Live, The A.V. Club, and an interview next week on the Rachael Ray Show. In-depth interviews ran in USA Today and Entertainment Weekly, with a Parade Magazine feature to come.

Buzzworthy: Stephen Chbosky’s Imaginary Friend (GCP) went on sale this week – it’s been two decades since Chbosky’s debut novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower and anticipation is high. The Washington Post calls it “an absorbing, original and genuinely surprising novel” and it’s included in Fall must read features like Entertainment Weekly’s October Must-Reads list, New York Times’ New October Books List, USA, including Today’s 5 Books Not to Miss, Literary Hub’s New Releases list, Book Riot’s 50 Fall/Winter Must-Reads, Bustle’s October roundup, and more. Stephen’s interview with NPR Weekend Edition aired this past weekend, and still to come are reviews in Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Columbus Dispatch, New York Post, among others. The author will do an 18-city tour, including a trip to Canada to promote the novel. Watch the trailer here, part of GCP’s extensive marketing campaign.

ToddParr.com: check out the new Todd Parr website, created by HBG web development and LBYR. Parents, kids, educators, and curious minds now have one central place to explore all things Todd Parr, including new books – like The Kindness Book, which went on sale this week – videos and downloadables, and scheduling appearances.

Fall Picks: Apple Books’ October picks include Michael Connelly’s The Night Fire (LB), and B&N’s picks include the Connelly and James Patterson’s The 19th Christmas (LB).