Mom's the Word

Judging from the sales figures of several new bestsellers, books replaced the traditional flower arrangement for countless moms this Mother's Day. Four books with the word "mom" or "mother" in the title hit the national lists this week. Dear Mom: Thank You for Everything by Bradley Trevor Greive (author of The Blue Day Book which has more than 425,000 copies in print) landed in the #11 spot on our hardcover chart; it has more than 250,000 copies in print. The Andrews McMeel title combines animal photos with expressions of gratitude. The book right below our top 15 hardcovers is Hollywood Moms, featuring photographs by Joyce Ostin with an introduction by Carrie Fisher. The beautiful b&w photos offer intimate glimpses of the bond between famous mothers and their daughters. The Abrams book enjoyed lots of media exposure on Today, Oprah and Rosie, as well as in print media (highlighted by a nine-page first serial in In Style). There are 90,000 copies in print after four trips to press. Ostin is donating 100% of her earnings from the book to breast cancer research—a mother of three young daughters, she is a two-time survivor.

Health Communication has two winners among the top 10 on the trade paper list—Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul 2 and Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul. The former has sold nearly 500,000 copies since its March publication; the latter, published October 1991, boasts more than 3.8 million copies sold. HCI also reported increased sales for its two Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul titles, and Hyperion's Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Women is also back on our trade paper list.

With reporting by Dick Donahue.