Say It with Books
by Daisy Maryles -- Publishers Weekly, 5/19/2003
More publishers took a cue from the flower industry, pushing books as the ideal gift for mom on her special day. Proof of success is in the many books that hit the charts this week. Doris Roberts lands in the #7 spot with Are You Hungry Dear? Life, Laughs and Lasagna. Roberts, who plays supermom Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, has also played mom to Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Tony Danza. St. Martin's launched her memoir/cookbook with a 75,000 first printing and a seven-city tour.
The other new bestseller, I Love You, Mom (first printing 155,000), takes the #8 spot. Publisher Hyperion worked with 1-800-FLOWERS, offering book-and-roses packages; it completely sold out. Having Kelly Ripa write the foreword was a sales bonanza—not only did she plug the book on Live with Regis and Kelly, she also appeared on Good Morning America. The book, a collection of 46 celebrities thanking their moms, was edited by Diane Clehane, a freelancer for national publications such as People and Variety.
Andrews McMeel lands two books on the bestseller charts, Dear Mom in the #5 spot and The Incredible Truth About Motherhood (#18 on our hardcover list); both are by Bradley Trevor Greive. It's the third Mother's Day season for Dear Mom. Its initial printing was 100,000 copies; the total is now one million. The Incredible Truth has 300,000 copies. Health Communications' newest Chicken Soup offering, Chicken Soup for the Mother & Daughter Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen et al. has 279,000 copies in print and lands on the trade paper chart in the lucky 13th spot.
With reporting by Dick Donahue
