Becoming has become the book publishing phenomenon of the year--the bestselling book of 2018 in the month since its publication. The memoir by Michelle Obama is No. 1 on a range of bestseller lists in the U.S. as well as the U.K., Germany, France and elsewhere.
Yesterday, in a year-end letter to employees around the world, Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle noted: "As a collaborative and shared reward, we are thrilled that the powerful and inspiring memoir Becoming by Michelle Obama, which has been brilliantly published and internationally coordinated by our Crown colleagues with our publishing teams in all our territories, plus many more countries and languages, emerged as the bestselling book of 2018 after merely two weeks on sale. Total copies currently in print worldwide: more than five million."
|
|
| Michelle Obama at Seminary Co-op in Chicago last month. | |
Obama's book tour, often held in large locations, began on pub date November 13 in her hometown of Chicago and has attracted sold-out crowds. In London last week, she appeared at the Southbank Centre with writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and met backstage with the Duchess of Sussex, aka Meghan Markle.
The Becoming tour was originally scheduled to end soon, but has now been extended into May of next year. It comprises 21 events, of which four will be in Canada and six in Europe. (One appearance is in Paris, where she was scheduled earlier this month but had to skip for the funeral of President George H.W. Bush.)
In the announcement, Obama commented: "I couldn't be more excited to visit even more cities across the country and around the world. I've been so humbled by the response to the tour thus far and the overwhelming interest we've received from so many communities we weren't able to visit this year. That's why I'm thrilled that we're able to expand our conversations to these new settings and wider audiences. I can't wait to continue the discussions that have been so meaningful for me and, I hope, for so many others."
 |
|
| At Tattered Cover's event yesterday: Heather Duncan, MPIBA executive director; Anne Holman, The King's English, Salt Lake City; Kristen Gilligan, Tattered Cover | |
A recent addition includes the Tattered Cover, Denver, Colo., which announced on Tuesday "a last minute, very special addition" to its events schedule: a book signing by the former First Lady yesterday afternoon at Tattered Cover's Colfax Avenue location, preceding her evening appearance at the Pepsi Center.
In an effort to make her events accessible to as many people as possible, Obama and Live Nation, which is organizing her tours, donate some event tickets to a range of organizations, including charities, schools and community groups, allowing some fans to attend for free.
Indie booksellers report that the book is a bestseller--and usually their bestselling book.
Speaking with Quartz, James Fugate, owner of Eso Won Books, Los Angeles, Calif., noted that the store's emphasis on pre-orders for Becoming resulted in sales of more than 200 copies. "They've been prepaid," he said. "So that's very good."
At Barnes & Noble, Becoming was the fastest-selling book of the year and one of the fastest-selling books in the company's history. It had the best pre-order and first-week sales of an adult title since Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee was released in 2015.