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The UK's two most high profile book promotions dominated the first full trading week of 2011, with half of this week's new entries into the Top 50 members of either Channel Four's "TV Book Club" or Richard and Judy's W H Smith selection.
Sales of the eight R&J selections in the seven days to 15th January totalled 86,200 copies, up 35% on their sales during the previous week. In comparison, sales of the "TV Book Club" selections totalled 55,500 copies, up 25% week-on-week, but down slightly (7%) on last year's selections in the comparative week.
The only member of both clubs, Emma Donoghue's Room (Picador), takes third position in this week's Top 50 having enjoyed a 35% week-on-week fillip. The controversial Man Booker shortlistee was the first book to go under Jo Brand et al's spotlight on More4 last Sunday. Michael Robotham's "TV Book Club" pick, Bleed for Me (Sphere), was highest new entrant in at 19th.
All eight members of the R&J Spring 2011 Book Club chart in this week's Official UK Top 50, led by Sarah Blake's The Postmistress (Penguin) with sales of 23,295 copies. However, the New York City-born novelist narrowly misses out on the top spot held by Tess Gerritsen for the second week in a row. Sales of Gerritsen's The Killing Place totalled 24,742 in its first full week in bookshops.
In total, £26.7m was spent at UK booksellers last week, down 4% week-on-week and down 1% on the same week last year when Harlan Coben's Long Lost (Orion) topped the charts with a 28,761 sale.
Other new entries into the Official UK Top 50 this week include a new TV tie-in edition of Lynda La Plante's fourth Anna Travis thriller, Deadly Intent (Simon & Schuster), the three-part adaptation of which aired on ITV earlier this month, and Tate Publishing's paperback accompaniment to the hugely popular Gauguin: Maker of Myth exhibition which ended its spell at the Tate Modern on Sunday.
Other bestsellers in the non-fiction charts include deep-discounted, bargain-bin celebrity memoirs and a plethora of New Year, New You hits led by the irrepressible Paul McKenna. His I Can Make You Happy (Bantam Press) takes top spot in this week's Top 20 Paperback Non-fiction chart and 14th place in the Official UK Top 50. According to Nielsen BookScan data, McKenna was worth an eye-popping £1.5m to UK booksellers last year.
There was also a debut for independent children's publisher Nosy Crow, with its first book S C Ransom’s Small Blue Thing selling 136 copies in three days and charting in 3,475th place.