Putnam's Carefully Planned Surprise

The summer's surprise bestseller, Kate Remembered (Putnam, $25.95), was one of the most masterfully orchestrated publishing efforts in recent memory. Not only was the collaboration between Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer A. Scott Berg and Katharine Hepburn secretly begun 20 years ago, but the book was on store shelves within 11 days of the four-time Oscar-winning actress's death at 96 on June 29. How did Putnam manage such a quick turnaround?

First, Hepburn's death wasn't unexpected to those around her. According to Berg, she had been suffering from a large, very aggressive tumor on her neck.

But even considering that the manuscript had been completed and typeset in 2001—with the exception of a new introduction by Berg written several weeks before publication—its release schedule was dizzying. "I heard that Miss Hepburn had died on Sunday the 29th, and the following day we had a 9:30 morning meeting with the six people who knew about the project," said Putnam and Dutton president Carole Baron. "We announced the book at 1:30 that afternoon and started calling up all our sales accounts" to take orders for publication on July 11. Two days later, the first printing of 400,000 copies was underway.

Books started shipping that Friday, a mere four days after the book had been announced. A week later, the house had shipped a total of 560,000 hardcovers, and Berg's national media campaign began with an appearance on The Today Show, followed by a 10-day national tour. "Every hour of every day has been packed with interviews," said associate publisher Marilyn Ducksworth.