| Bestsellers | ||
Behind the Bestsellers Daisy Maryles -- 8/21/00 From Ashes to Dust | On the 'Road' Again | Cussler Strikes Gold McCourt's Back | News from Another Harry From Ashes to DustJudging from PW's newest bestseller lists, it seems clear that, as People magazine put it, Tami Hoag is "one of the hottest names in the suspense game." Her latest Bantam hardcover, Dust to Dust (pub date August 1), marks its second week on PW's charts--moving into second place from last week's #3--and debuted at #2 on the August 20 New York Times fiction list. Dust, which features two characters introduced in the author's earlier Ashes to Ashes, has more than 340,000 copies in print after three printings. It is, says associate publicity director Susan Corcoran, "by far her fastest-selling hardcover to date." Ashes to Ashes, meanwhile, has become Hoag's fastest-selling paperback bestseller ever (seven weeks on our list and counting); Bantam's mass market edition went on sale July 4 and boasts more than 1.6 million in print after three printings. Hoag, who is now on a 12-city publicity tour, will return home to Charlottesville, Va., at the end of the month, where she'll begin writing her next novel. On the 'Road' AgainAlso observing week #2 on our fiction list is Purple Cane Road, James Lee Burke's 19th novel and the 11th to star his immensely popular Louisiana detective, Dave Robicheaux. Just how popular is he? According to Doubleday senior publicist Ben Bruton, Burke's last hardcover, Heartwood, "did not make the bestseller lists--and did not feature the beloved character." And if further endorsement is needed: author Jonathan Kellerman dubs Burke "the Faulkner of crime fiction," while John Sandford calls the Robicheaux novels "one of the finest series in American fiction." The two-time Edgar-winning author is currently on a 14-city driving tour of the west, during which he's being interviewed by media and presiding at several bookstore events. After two trips to press, Doubleday's in-print total stands at 132,000.
McCourt's BackFrank McCourt's 'Tis is being released for the first time in trade paper on August 29; Simon & Schuster's first printing will be 650,000. The hardcover spent 29 weeks on PW's charts--eight of those in first place--and had 1.5 million copies in print. The 60 Minutes McCourt interview was re-aired on August 6; on Labor Day the author kicks off a lecture tour in San Francisco. Look for a strong bestseller landing shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, booksellers across the country are once again reporting the trade paper edition of Angela's Ashes among their bestsellers; it ranks #18 on this week's PW trade paper list. News from Another HarryHe may not be the Harry of Hogwart fame, but over the past three decades, Sir Harry Flashman has appeared in 10 well-received adventures of his own. The creation of British author George MacDonald Fraser, Flashy is a celebrated Victorian soldier, scoundrel, amorist and self-confessed "poltroon" who mysteriously turns up in some unlikely situations. His latest caper, Flashman and the Tiger, was published by Knopf earlier this month with a modest 20,000-copy printing; it has just gone back to press for another 4,000 copies, thanks to spirited reviews in such venues as Publishers Weekly, the Baltimore Sun, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Dallas Morning News and the daily New York Times. Last week, Amazon reported the book was one of the top-selling books across all Random House imprints--beating out such titles as American Rhapsody and Omerta. It's being reported by several independents across the country and has already landed on the San Francisco Chronicle bestseller list. With reporting by Dick Donahue | ||
Behind the Bestsellers
Aug 21, 2000
A version of this article appeared in the 08/21/2000 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline:
