Author Jeff Kinney To Visit 49 Bookstores During The 'Wimpy Kid Rolling Party' Tour

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The book with the largest first printing of 2012-over 6 million copies- has the most extensive tour of the year. Bestselling author Jeff Kinney will visit seven bookstores a day for seven days in Midwestern markets for the release of his seventh book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel. Beginning on the release day, November 13, and concluding on November 19, Kinney will sign books for 49 booksellers in a mix of large party events and smaller meet-and-greets in the greater market areas of Kansas City, Mo., Minneapolis ,Milwaukee, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Grand Rapids, Mich. The tour leads up to the third appearance of the Greg Heffley giant helium balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on November 22.

"Over the past five years, the support for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from booksellers large and small has been tremendous," says author Jeff Kinney. "It's my goal to visit as many stores as possible in order to express my thanks, and to meet as many fans as I can along the way."

Two types of events were offered to booksellers, depending upon the time and territory. The largest events, for up to 1,200 people, comes with a custom "Wimpy Kid Rolling Party" experience, which includes a DJ and dance floor, numerous photo opportunities with characters, food, and more. These will take place in partnership with seven stores: Rainy Day Books in Kansas City; Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minn.; Books & Co, Oconomowoc, Wis; Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, Ill; Joseph Beth, Cincinnati; and Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, Mich. A more intimate meet-and-greet event was confirmed with dozens of independent stores. Many of these are already sold out.

"Bringing Jeff Kinney to as many booksellers as we possibly can in one day is the ultimate goal," says Mary Wowk, Vice President of Sales. "The enormous traffic an event with Jeff Kinney drives will help kick off a terrific holiday season for retailers."

Books in the core series by Jeff Kinney include Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (2010), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (2011). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel will release on November 13, 2012. Jeff Kinney has also written and illustrated The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary. Wimp-ebooks editions of the series for tablets and e-readers become available on October 30, 2012. The series is a fixture on the USA Today bestseller list and the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. It has also remained consistently in the top spots on the New York Times lists since publication of the first book in the series in 2007.

More than 75 million Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are in print in 41 languages in more than 44 countries around the world. Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, Kinney's work has been widely praised for its ability to turn reluctant readers on to books. Jeff Kinney was named one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world. There are three major motions pictures based on the books, which grossed more than $200 million worldwide in box office sales. The book series won Favorite Book at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and Jeff Kinney won a Children's Choice Book Award in 2012. Books in the series have won numerous awards voted on by students and teachers in schools around the globe. Kids can also share in an interactive experience with Greg Heffley on Poptropica.com, a site visited by millions of kids each month.