OPRAH WINFREY REVIVES HER BOOK CLUB THIS MONDAY WITH ‘WILD’
By Deirdre Donahue
Borders may be gone, but the Queen has returned.
As publishing prepares for its annual convention, BookExpo America, which opens Tuesday in Manhattan, Oprah Winfrey announced she will revive her fabled book club. Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 will launch Monday, this time with digital elements such as enhanced eBooks and social media outreach on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The first book chosen is Cheryl Strayed’s Wild. The best-selling memoir describes the author’s 1,100-mile hike up the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to Oregon as the 26-year-old struggled with her mother’s death and a failed marriage.
In her video announcement of the relaunch, Winfrey raved about the book, calling it “stimulating, thought-provoking, soul-enhancing.”
At 12 p.m. Monday, a special eBook version of Wild will be released that will include a reader’s guide and Oprah’s notes on her favorite passages. Print books will carry the traditional Oprah sticker.
The question, of course, is whether Winfrey still has the magic to move books. With her syndicated show, which she ended last May after 25 years, Winfrey averaged about 5 million to 6 million viewers when it ended last year and up to 12 million at its peak.