Marley and Me
Friday, October 20, 2006
A Marley One-Year Anniversary
This week marks a milestone for Marley & Me -- one full year in print. The book debuted on Oct. 18, 2005, and this week it hit its 52nd straight week on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. As my agent, Laurie Abkemeier, reminded me in an email last night, Marley & Me has spent 45 of those weeks hovering in the top five of the 15-spot New York Times list, and 22 weeks as the top dog at #1. It is currently #5 on the list. It has also hit #1 on the bestseller lists at USA-Today, the Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post, Boston Globe, The Times of London, the Irish Independent, Book Sense (reflecting sales at independent bookstores) and others.
This first anniversary is a good time to take stock of some other Marley milestones:
* Marley & Me now is in its 36th printing with approximately 2.5 million books in print in North America.
* It has been, or soon will be, published in 25 foreign languages, from Israel to Korea to Australia to Russia.
* Fox 2000 Pictures currently is adapting it into a feature-length screenplay.
* It has been featured on or in Good Morning America, CBS's The Early Show, Fox and Friends, People, The New York Times, USA-Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Howard Stern Show, BBC, and many more.
* Earlier this month, it won two Quill Book Awards, for best audio book and best biography/memoir. (And Jenny got the thrill of her life when she met Anderson Cooper.)
* Book tour and speaking invitations have taken me to dozens of American cities this past year, and to London and Dublin, too. (I keep hinting for the Italian publisher to bring me to Rome, but so far no bites.)
* I had the thrill of being invited to join President and Mrs. Bush at a gala dinner, and, the next morning, to a breakfast at The White House. Then I got to speak and sign books at the National Book Festival on the Mall.
* Along the way, I've met thousands of the nicest, kindest, most enthusiastic and generous-spirited people imaginable. They have renewed my faith in the fundamental goodness of the human race.
Whew! Everytime I look at Marley's photo -- and it's now plastered all over our home in various publicity materials -- I just have to laugh at the incongruity of it all. The dog who could do no right in life, who screwed up virtually everything he tried, now can do nary a wrong thing. Talk about life after death!
I'm writing this from the tiny Saginaw, Michigan, airport, waiting to catch a flight home after spending today in the thriving metropolis of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where I spoke at the Michigan Storytelling Festival and met with writing students at my alma mater, Central Michigan University. Go Chippewas!
What a year it has been. Thank you all for helping make it a year I will never, ever forget. And never take for granted.
Cheers, John
posted by John Grogan at 2:45 PM
 
20 Comments:
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Congratulations and very well done. I just finished reading the book and absolutely loved it.
Congrates John on your award for Marley and Me.
Dear John!
I sorry I dont speak english, I from in Brazil, read in portuguese!
Congratulations pelo livro, moro no Brazil e tenho um Labrador, e amo muito ele, e é igualzinho ao seu. Cada vez que leio um capitulo do livro indentifico ainda mais o meu cão, amando-o ainda mais, e ficando um pouco mais tranquilo porque nao sou o unico a ter um caozinho desobediente.
Parabens pelos seu livro e pelos seus lindos filhos.
Abraços,
Ede Carlos dos Santos
administracao@starweb.com.br
Congrats on your success. I lvoed the book.
jayjay from PETalogues
I enjoyed the book no end. We read it aloud (most of it) to our children, ages 9, 11,and 13. My daughter (9) has become inspired and is now writing Tiger and Me..the true story of life with the world's best cat...
Thanks for the stories!
Congratulations on your accomplishments. I have not read a book in about 10 years. I am so glad I picked up Marley and Me. I have really enjoyed every word.
I haven't finished the book yet, but I was wondering is there going to be a movie made? I have heard sooooo many wonderful things about your book, so far I am loving every minute of it!!!
My husband and I just finished the book last week. We have a trouble maker of our own, a lab name Lucy. And we had to put our shepard Rusty to sleep a few weeks ago. Thank you for making us laugh and cry!
Congratulations on the Quill Awards. I loved your book, but it took me a long time before I got around to reading it, I was so afraid that it would make me cry.
As it was, I had a hard time finding it (in Singapore):
http://snugpug.blogspot.com/2006/09/marley-and-me.html
I enjoyed it very much, it made me hold closer my current dogs, and in my heart the ones that live there now.
What a book! What a writer! You should be very proud. I've just finished reading your book and sobbing my heart out for the past hour. You made me remember and mourn for all of my past dogs (and theres been quite a few). I've never quite understood people who dont like or own dogs, for the lucky ones who embrace animals (especially dogs) and allow themselves the pleasure of unconditional love this book will be forever special.
Dear John,
My name is Giuliana Bruni Candido I am from Brazil and I want to say that I just finished reading your book, and I enjoyed it a lot. Marley´s story is so sweet and I felt that the words you used came from your heart. I can imagine how sad you were when Marley passed away.
I don´t have a Labrador, but I have a poodle who is already 14, but he looks like a 4 year-old-dog, he is very active,funny and still a troublemaker.
Congratulations on your book !!!
Once again I loved it so much. I enjoyed every word. Marley is also in my heart. His adventures and funny life made me cry.
This book will be for me FOREVER !!!
I've just finished reading your book. I laughed. I cried. I'm crying now. I'm so sad that Marley is gone in the physical sense, but I know that he lives in the hearts of so many .. now that you have shared him with us ! I have a one-year old Lab, Keira. She is an angel, and my constant companion. My first dog. I treasure every moment with her. She adds to my life that which no human can. Thanks for showing the world how a dog can march into your heart and stay there forever. Rosemary
I've just finished reading your book. I laughed. I cried. I'm crying now. I'm so sad that Marley is gone in the physical sense, but I know that he lives in the hearts of so many .. now that you have shared him with us ! I have a one-year old Lab, Keira. She is an angel, and my constant companion. My first dog. I treasure every moment with her. She adds to my life that which no human can. Thanks for showing the world how a dog can march into your heart and stay there forever. Rosemary
Congratulations, Mrs John G., meu nome é Liliam e acabei de ler o teu livro, sorri, chorei e me emocionei muito. Tenho uma labradora de 2 meses e 1/2 e é identica ao Marley, amável, carinhosa, amiga, bagunceira e destruidora, sem falar do pote de água, que toda semana tem que ser um novo. Só tenho que lhe falar um coisinha, Congratulations pelo livro e pelo ótima leitura.
Abraços especial a vc e a Jenny e ao novo cachorrinho.
Liliam
I recently finished reading Marley and Me and loved every page even those that had me in tears. My partner and I have a dog of dubious breed, but she has a beautiful soul and she makes us laugh every day with her antics. The day we lose her will be a very sad one indeed, she is not just a dog but part of our family. Too often people give up on their pets because they don't meet their expectations, thank you for not giving up on Marley and congratulations on your success.
I am italian and my name is Antonella .
I have just finished to read your book and I am very moved . I love very much animals, but sometime i feel like a strange person; after your book I feel that my feelings about animals are true and shared with many others , intelligent people, all around the world
estou lendo e me deliciando com o livro ,amando cada vez mais o Marley .queria muito tê-lo conhecido ele parecia ser maravilhoso ,parabéns pelo seu livro e pela sua bela familia Que Deus aos abençõe
I laughed out loud and sobbed uncontrollably. I tried to understand why someone would allow us to fall in love with Marley and feel the pain of loosing him as well. I figure this
must be some kind dog or John Grogan must be some kind of story teller. I feel blessed to have known Marley even if it was through someone else’s eyes.
John Grogan, meus parabéns pelo maravilho livro. Amei. Sorri, chorei. Marley é verdadeiramente, um cão maravilhoso.
Você, sua esposa e seus filhos também são maravilhosos.
Parabéns.
Fiquem com Deus!
Um grande abraço!!!
Congrats, Mr Grogan. I've just finished reading your book and also added a story in the "Share your stories" section. I really loved the book, specially your last comment about how are dogs able to change our lives and points of view. Your book made me cry and I've never done that for a book or story. I come from Brazil and my family is not very into dogs, but if you read the story you'll realize hou diferent I am from them. Once again, congratulations!
Best regards, Mauricio Nakasato.