On Wednesday, Oprah Winfrey announced on her TV show that Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” published in 2006 by the Knopf Group of Random House Inc., is her second book club pick of the year and just her third overall selection since September 2005 and the controversial “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey.
Oprah’s Book Club was established in September 1996, and since then, her selections have pulled some obscure works onto best-seller lists.
However McCarthy’s book is a relatively safe bet for Oprah, already receiving much national acclaim.
“The Road” is on the USA Today Bestseller List, a National Book Critic’s Circle Award Finalist and New York Times Notable Book. It was also named one of the best books of the year by The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, New York, People, Time, The Village Voice and The Washington Post, among several others.
According to Vintage Books Web site, the book is a searing, post-apocalyptic novel destined to become McCarthy’s masterpiece.
“Illuminated by extraordinary tenderness. ... Simple yet mysterious, simultaneously cryptic and crystal clear. ‘The Road’ offers nothing in the way of escape or comfort. But its fearless wisdom is more indelible than reassurance could ever be,” reported The New York Times.
In the past, a nod from Oprah’s Book Club has meant increased sales and increased print numbers for authors and publishing companies.
According to Reuters, Random House Inc. Publicist Paul Bogaards said 950,000 softcover copies were printed, in addition to the 225,000 hardcover copies already in print.
Winfrey announced that McCarthy had agreed to do what she said would be his first-ever TV interview with her, to be shown at a later date.
Editor’s note: Read about the marketing campaign behind another Oprah Book Club selection--”The Secret”--in the April issue of Book Business, mailing soon.