Nannygate Scores a Hit

Everyone is happy when a debut fiction title hits the charts, so a round of applause is due for Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, co-authors of The Nanny Diaries, landing on PW's list in the #8 position. The debut novel, based on the experiences of these two friends who worked as nannies in Manhattan, is benefiting from lots of good press. St. Martin's planned a 25,000-copy first printing for the March 13 release, and that has already been augmented with four reprints, bringing the in-print figure to 110,000; the book has been optioned for film by Miramax. It received excellent reviews ("a hilarious novel that pulls no punches," said PW) and has clearly touched a nerve, as evidenced by a response in Harper's Bazaar offering a mother's perspective on nannies. In an interview for our First Fiction feature (Jan. 28), the authors suggested that a nanny could be likened to a prostitute. Why? "Because you are providing affection for cash," said Kraus.

For the record, in 2001, there were only four first novels that sold more than 100,000 copies. One, Lalita Tademy's Cane River, went over the half-million mark—it was an Oprah pick. Three others sold around 130,000 copies: The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger and My Dream of You by Nuala O'Faolain. Randall's debut benefited from the publicity surrounding a lawsuit; O'Faolain had written a bestselling memoir; Enger's book had great word-of-mouth and excellent reviews.

With reporting by Dick Donahue