The latest installment of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series drops Monday, amid high security and special events planned for more than 2000 bookstores. According to this article at ICV2, Abrams' Amulet Books imprint has increased the first printing of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days from 3 million to 4 million, making it the biggest initial print run for a kids' book in 2009. I predict they will sell, and suggest Abrams keep the printing presses warm.
What a triumph for my friend Jeff and our mutual Editor Charlie! I am so excited for both those guys. Nothing vindicates an editor's judgment, experience, and skill like a bestseller. As for Jeff: he works incredibly hard to make Wimpy Kid look as light and effortless as it does. He writes genuinely good, funny, heartfelt, well-crafted stories, and Abrams' designers and printers makes them look great. Everyone involved earned their success.
(The ICV2 article also says Jeff is scheduled to appear on "The View." That's unbearably hilarious.)
Because my universe revolves around me (not unlike Jeff's hero Greg Heffley), I find Wimpy Kid's success both encouraging and bracing. It means I've got an editor and publisher with the proven potential to make an author's most audacious ambitions come true. Lucky me. It also negates the traditional excuse of having an editor or publisher who don't know what they're doing. Clearly, if there's anyone who doesn't know what he's doing, it's me. Fortunately, I can work on that.
Congratulations to Jeff and Charlie for what I'm sure will be a great launch and another wildly successful book.
Jeff, Editor Charlie, Me. This photo's a few years old and I've posted it before, but it fits the topic and it's the only one I've got of the three of us together. Two of these men have achieved literary and commercial success of which few dare dream. The third is devastatingly handsome. It's a fair trade.
Excellent news!
ReplyDeleteWe give books to the nephlings and niecphews at Christmas, and we have a couple who have just hit "Wimpy Kid"-appropriate age this year. (The first cohort fell into "too old for" by the time the series came onto our radar.) It's going to be a pleasure to share these excellent books with them!
Thank you, Brian! You've been a huge supporter of my books from the beginning. I read your latest, "What Ever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?" a few months back as my reward for completing my last book, and I loved it. Maybe I'll see you out in California next week? I'm coming within striking distance of San Francisco!
ReplyDeleteWhoever has Jeff's file in Canada is earning his or her bread... we were in Chapters (along with owners Indigo, Canada's largest bookstore chain) on Sunday and this is from the animation playing on every book-search kiosk in the store (and my presumption is, every Chapters/Indigo store in Canada). Impressive!
ReplyDeleteStill #3 at Amazon (after Palin's book)... but isn't that how it should be?
ReplyDeleteRonnie, thanks for that. The promotion and related foo-foorah for Wimpy Kid really is a marvel to behold. I walked into Wal-Mart a couple days ago (I know, but I thought they had something I needed) and almost tripped over a big display right inside the front door. Good for Jeff.
ReplyDeleteFutureBoy (is this the same FutureBoy to whom I'm in-law related?), Wimpy Kid was #1 for at least a few days, and I'll bet Jeff is a better writer than Ms. Palin. Good for Jeff again.