For her 100th book club pick, Oprah Winfrey relied on the same instincts she has drawn upon from the start: Does the story move her? Does she think about it for days after? In a work of fiction, do the characters seem real to her?
害羞草研究所淲hen I don害羞草研究所檛 move on, that害羞草研究所檚 always a sign to me there害羞草研究所檚 something powerful and moving,害羞草研究所� Winfrey told The Associated Press in a recent telephone interview.
On Tuesday, she announced that she had chosen Ann Napolitano害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淗ello Beautiful,害羞草研究所� a modern-day homage to 害羞草研究所淟ittle Women害羞草研究所� from the author of the bestselling 害羞草研究所淒ear Edward.害羞草研究所� The novel was published Tuesday by Dial Press, a Penguin Random House imprint, and Winfrey believes its themes of family, resilience and perspective give 害羞草研究所淗ello Beautiful害羞草研究所� a 害羞草研究所渦niversal appeal害羞草研究所� that makes it a proper milestone.
A Winfrey pick no longer ensures blockbuster sales, but it retains a special status within the industry for authors, a call from Winfrey still feels like being told they害羞草研究所檝e won an Oscar. Winfrey told AP that she is in 害羞草研究所渁we害羞草研究所� of the club and its history, 害羞草研究所渢he very notion害羞草研究所� that someone might go and buy a copy of 害羞草研究所淎nna Karenina害羞草研究所� or a little known book simply because she suggested it.
害羞草研究所淪he is the queen,害羞草研究所� says Jenna Bush Hager, who hosts the popular 害羞草研究所淩ead With Jenna害羞草研究所� club on NBC害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭oday害羞草研究所� show. 害羞草研究所淚 remember being a high school senior, in AP English, and reading (David Guterson害羞草研究所檚) `Snow Falling on Cedars害羞草研究所� because I had walked into the local bookstore and seen that Oprah had recommended it.害羞草研究所�
Kristen McLean, an analyst for NPD Books, which tracks industry sales, says that Winfrey is especially effective these days when promoting a known author such as Barbara Kingsolver and her novel 害羞草研究所淒emon Copperhead,害羞草研究所� a bestseller since Winfrey picked it last fall that has far outsold her two previous works of fiction.
Since 1996, Winfrey害羞草研究所檚 book choices have set her on a journey of extraordinary influence and success, frequent reinvention and the occasional controversy. It has endured through changes for both Winfrey and the publishing industry, through the rise of the internet and the end of Winfrey害羞草研究所檚 syndicated talk show, through immersions in the classics and unexpected lessons in the reliability of memoirs and the lack of diversity of book publishing.
Thanks to Winfrey, contemporary authors such as Jacquelyn Mitchard and Jane Hamilton found audiences they never imagined, while picks published decades or even centuries earlier, from 害羞草研究所淎nna Karenina害羞草研究所� to 害羞草研究所淎s I Lay Dying,害羞草研究所� placed high on bestseller lists. Winfrey didn害羞草研究所檛 invent the mass market book club, but she demonstrated that spontaneous passion can inspire people in ways that elude the most sophisticated marketing campaigns.
Her most troubled choices 害羞草研究所� James Frey害羞草研究所檚 fabricated memoir 害羞草研究所淎 Million Little Pieces,害羞草研究所� Jeanine Cummins害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淎merican Dirt,害羞草研究所� a novel criticized for stereotypical depictions of Mexicans 害羞草研究所� made so much news in part because of the spotlight of a Winfrey endorsement.
The club began as the extension of conversations between herself and her producer at the time, Alice McGee. They would talk about the books they liked until McGee finally suggested, in 1996, that Winfrey share the experience with her viewers. The first pick, Mitchard害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭he Deep End of the Ocean,害羞草研究所� has sold more than 2 million copies. Other books also became major bestsellers, whether by established authors like Joyce Carol Oates (害羞草研究所淲e Were the Mulvaneys害羞草研究所�) and Toni Morrison (害羞草研究所淭he Bluest Eye害羞草研究所�) or then-emerging writers like Janet Fitch and Tawni O害羞草研究所橠ell.
The club was so successful that some suspected a catch. Winfrey remembers Quincy Jones asking her: 害羞草研究所淗ow much money are they paying you for that book club, baby?害羞草研究所� The process was so informal that Winfrey at first didn害羞草研究所檛 even bother going through intermediaries.
害羞草研究所淚 would just call Wally Lamb,害羞草研究所� she says of the author of 害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 Come Undone,害羞草研究所� her fourth pick. 害羞草研究所淚n the early stages, I would finish the book and then find the author. When you害羞草研究所檇 go to the back of the book, it gives you the bio of the author and it would tell you what city the author lives. And, this is when we had phone books, in every instance I was able to get the author害羞草研究所檚 phone number because the author was listed.害羞草研究所�
Winfrey害羞草研究所檚 system is now only slightly more structured. Leigh Newman, books director of the online/print publication Oprah Daily, will call the publisher first and arrange a 害羞草研究所渟urprise call害羞草研究所� with the author and Oprah. Winfrey害羞草研究所檚 staff will research the author害羞草研究所檚 background to make sure nothing problematic turns up 害羞草研究所� whether criminal charges or allegations of plagiarism. The vetting began, Winfrey says, after 害羞草研究所淎 Million Little Pieces害羞草研究所� turned out to have substantial falsehoods, leading to an extraordinary public scolding by Winfrey when she brought Frey back on her show to explain himself. (They have since reconciled).
害羞草研究所淚 took it so personally,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淚 probably should haven害羞草研究所檛 taken it so personally but I felt like he had let me down and I let the audience down. 害羞草研究所� I was the one saying, `Can you believe this is a true story?害羞草研究所� and shouting that from the rooftops. I felt foolish for doing that, embarrassed for doing that.害羞草研究所�
Winfrey害羞草研究所檚 book choices are still in-house and intimate 害羞草研究所� mostly just determined by herself and Newman 害羞草研究所� although Winfrey says she made a rare exception for 害羞草研究所淗ello Beautiful,害羞草研究所� recommended to her by the president of Creative Arts Agency, Richard Lovett. Otherwise, Newman will seek out books she thinks Winfrey might respond to 害羞草研究所� fiction or nonfiction, as long as the story is 害羞草研究所渃ompelling,害羞草研究所� Newman explains. Winfrey will also come upon books on her own.
The club follows no real formula. For the first few years, Winfrey averaged a selection nearly every month, a pace she came to find exhausting. She paused the club for much of 2002-2003, focused on older works in 2004-2005, and in other years only selected one or two titles. After her talk show ended in 2011, she launched Oprah害羞草研究所檚 Book Club 2.0 the following year, with the emphasis on digital media.
She is currently aiming for a new book every eight weeks, with author interviews and interactive reader discussions showcased on OprahDaily.com. Winfrey has no plans to stop, and no specific goals for selections. In the aftermath of 害羞草研究所淎merican Dirt,害羞草研究所� selected early in 2020, she had vowed to open herself up 害羞草研究所渢o more Latinx books.害羞草研究所� But she has not since picked any for her club and is not committing herself for the future.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檇 never choose a book because the author is Hispanic, or Black, or Indian. I害羞草研究所檓 not going to be put in that box,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淭he book has to live on many different levels to me. It doesn害羞草研究所檛 mean there are not fantastic books by authors of every race and creed. It means I haven害羞草研究所檛 seen one yet (for the club). But we害羞草研究所檙e mindful of it and I害羞草研究所檝e come close a couple of times.害羞草研究所�
Winfrey害羞草研究所檚 choices are influenced at times by a relatively recent trend 害羞草研究所� competition.
Over the past few years, Hager and Reese Witherspoon have demonstrated that they too, can win the trust of large numbers of readers, whether Witherspoon害羞草研究所檚 early promotion of Delia Owens害羞草研究所� blockbuster 害羞草研究所淲here the Crawdads Sing害羞草研究所� or Hager championing such debut works as Katy Hays害羞草研究所� novel 害羞草研究所淭he Cloisters.害羞草研究所� The exuberance of young people on TikTok helped make Colleen Hoover the country害羞草研究所檚 most popular fiction writer.
Winfrey is respectful: If she hears a book she might choose is also being pursued by Witherspoon or Hager, she will step back and pick another. But she also claims her place. Yes, Witherspoon, Hager and the BookTok kids are all great, but no one should forget who came first.
害羞草研究所淲e started this conversation,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淎nd I害羞草研究所檓 very, very proud of that.害羞草研究所�
By Hillel Italie
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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