Say happy birthday to a terrific young imprint of Viking: Pamela Dorman Books. I am thrilled to be featuring the amazing list of books published under this imprint in both its debut year and the years to come.
The imprint may be just one year old, but Pamela Dorman, the driving force behind it, is a veteran editor. As I've mentioned here before, even if you don't recognize her name, you have certainly read her books, talked about her books, and shared her books.
Before I get to the 2010 book list and what to look for in 2011, I'd like to welcome Pamela to Beth Fish Reads and give her a chance to introduce herself and tell you something about the imprint that bears her name.
Dear Readers:
A room of one’s own.
Yes, that’s the title of Virginia Woolf ’s classic, but it is also the way I think of the books that I publish here at Pamela Dorman Books/Viking. I hope that you will find in these books a place you will call your own. For me, the world of books has always been a place of refuge, a sanctuary to which I’ve happily escaped all my life.
I’ve been lucky enough to publish some extraordinary debuts—Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, Kim Edwards’s The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, and Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary—as well as nonfiction, such as Kelly Corrigan’s The Middle Place. I hope that this imprint will bring you more books that, like those, become word-of-mouth bestsellers, books that get passed on, and talked about, by readers everywhere.
In 2010, we launched the imprint with New York Times bestseller Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, now out in paperback, and the critically acclaimed The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Premio Stregao–winner Paolo Giordano, coming in April in paperback.
Coming in early 2011 are four fantastic novels: The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly (January) is a brilliant debut psychological thriller about a woman who has everything to lose and how far she will go to protect it. In February, we’ll publish Imogen Robertson’s Instruments of Darkness, a gripping historical country-house mystery and the warm and wonderful paperback original Deep Down True by Juliette Fay, author of Shelter Me. And in April, I’m pleased to welcome major bestselling author Luanne Rice back to Viking with The Silver Boat, a powerful, moving story of three sisters and the journey to their ancestral homeland.
I’m proud to be celebrating our one-year anniversary with Beth Fish Reads, and I look forward to, in the words of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, “the beginning of a beautiful friendship” with readers like you.
Warmly,
Pamela Dorman
Vice President & Publisher
Pamela Dorman Books/Viking
Thank you so much, Pamela. I am happy to be featuring your books and authors and bringing more attention to these great titles. I would guess that the vast majority of my readers have fallen in love with at least one of the books (and probably more) you have helped bring to print.
Now let's take a look at the first three books published by Pamela Dorman Books.
Here's how I discovered this imprint: Earlier in the year, I read, reviewed, and gave high ratings to the first two Pamela Dorman Books before I took notice that they were both published by the same imprint. That made me do some research, and I immediately turned to the third book on the debut list. All three are winners, and one is making it to my top ten list for the year.
- The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale is historical fiction and centers around a young girl in eighteenth-century England who escapes her farm and home for life in the city. In my review, I noted how the main character came alive for me and how fascinated I was with the technical details surrounding the art and science of fireworks.
- Paolo Giordano's Solitude of Prime Numbers is an altogether different novel. The two main characters each experienced an early traumatic event, which left a lasting mark. When they meet as young teens, they are drawn together, but their relationship is far from normal. Here's a sentence from my review: "As the book jacket reminds us, a prime number can be divided only by itself or by one, and that is exactly what happens to" the two principal characters.
- One of the best novels I read in 2010 is Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Is there anyone who hasn't read this gem yet? As I wrote in May, I fell in love with CeeCee and Aunt Tootie, Oletta, and Mrs. Odell. The wisdom and big heartedness of these woman will stay with me for a long time to come.
Now that's a powerful way to start an imprint.
Over the next few weeks, I'll tell you about the other 2010 titles in the Pamela Dorman Books imprint. Then coming up in the spring I'll introduce you to the next season's books, which include the titles mentioned by Pamela in her letter to you.
Be on the look-out for some surprise
Imprint Extras. The first one, which has to do with Pamela Dorman's imprint, is so much fun that I'm having a hard time waiting for its unveiling.
For more on Pamela Dorman, you can read an article from July 2008 published in the
New York Observer and watch a
short video about how she brought
Bridget Jone's Diary under her wing.
For more on the imprint, visit its page on the
Penguin USA website, check out its
Facebook page, and follow it on
Twitter. Oh, and watch this space.
Click for more
