William Morrow Announces New Grogan Memoir
By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 6/24/2008 9:57:00 AM
Before he was the owner of a lovable Lab named Marley, John Grogan was a trouble-making teen in a traditional Catholic family. Those formative years are the subject of the newspaper columnist's new memoir, The Longest Trip Home. Publisher William Morrow, which announced the book today, dubbed the title a "prequel" to Grogan's smash hit about the family dog (Marley & Me); Longest Trip is scheduled for an international laydown on October 21, 2008.
Morrow acquired North American rights from Laurie Abkemeier in association with DeFiore and Company. Speaking to the book, one which Grogan said he always intended to do after Marley & Me, Morrow executive editor Mauro DiPreta said it's a "rich, funny and moving reading experience that touches on themes that are close to all of us: love, family, faith and identity."
According to HarperCollins there are nearly 4 million copies of Marley & Me in print. And, given the successful adaptations the book has spawned in the children's market—a picture book and a middle grade title—the publisher plans to synchronize publicity for The Longest Trip Home with the September-slated A Very Marley Christmas. The push of both books will lead up to the Christmas Day release of the film version of Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.
