Diary of a Wimpy Kid World to Expand in April 2019 With New Book: Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams Children's Books, announced today the forthcoming publication of Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal, a new novel by global bestselling author Jeff Kinney. Releasing on April 9, 2019, in the United States and Canada in hardcover, ebook, and audio editions with a 3 million-copy announced first printing, and in over eighteen countries throughout the year, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is Jeff Kinney's first book outside of his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The deal was negotiated by Charles Kochman, Abrams editorial director, who will also edit the book. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid will be followed by the publication of the fourteenth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series in Fall 2019.

Greg Heffley has been chronicling his middle-school years in thirteen Diary of a Wimpy Kid journals. Now, in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, Greg's best friend, the undauntedly cheerful Rowley Jefferson, agrees to take on the role of biographer, recording his pal's life story. But it turns out Rowley is a poor choice for the job, and his "biography" of Greg says more about himself than it does about his best friend. With over 350 black-and-white illustrations, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid offers readers a chance to see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid world in a whole new way. The book will be supported by an extensive multifaceted publicity and marketing campaign.

Michael Jacobs, president and CEO of ABRAMS, says, "Publishing Rowley Jefferson's side of the story is truly AWESOME! Jeff Kinney's power to excite, engage, and expand his fans' worlds is evident in the amazing sales of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which has made reading fun for millions of kids around the globe. Now, that experience will be doubled with the introduction of Rowley Jefferson's own voice. I can already hear the kids, parents, educators, and booksellers shouting with joy and delight. We, at Abrams, are thrilled to be bringing this book to market!"

Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are published in 70 editions in 59 languages. More than 200 million copies of the books in the series have been sold globally. Published in 2007, the first book was an instant bestseller and has remained on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication and through the release of the thirteenth book for more than 655 weeks total. The series is also a fixture on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and IndieBound bestseller lists.

About the Author
Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a six-time Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award winner for Favorite Book for his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Jeff has been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time's 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Plainville, Massachusetts, where they own a bookstore, An Unlikely Story. For more Wimpy Kid, visit wimpykid.com.

About ABRAMS
Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. The company continues to publish critically acclaimed and bestselling works in the areas of art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture; children's books ranging from middle grade to young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes brilliantly designed books with the highest production values under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Abrams Image; Abrams Press; The Overlook Press; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and a gift and stationery line, Abrams Noterie. ABRAMS also distributes books for 5 Continents Editions, Booth-Clibborn Editions, Cameron + Company, Alain Ducasse Édition, Getty Publications, Ludion, The Museum of Modern Art, Obvious State, SelfMadeHero, Tate Publishing, V&A Publishing, and The Vendome Press.

Contact: Hallie Patterson, Associate Publicity Director
212-229-8823 / [email protected]

SOURCE ABRAMS