Amanda Gorman, Biden Inauguration Sensation, to Publish Three Books

Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint owned by Bertelsmann SE’s Penguin Random House publishing company, will publish 1 million hardcover copies of “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country” on March 16. The book, which includes a foreword by Oprah Winfrey, had originally been scheduled for publication April 27 with a smaller print run.

The title ranked No. 4 on Amazon’s Top 100 bestseller list Thursday.

“What we saw on stage was a 22-year-old woman who put together words that got an entire nation to quiet down and listen,” said Madeline McIntosh, chief executive officer of Penguin Random House U.S., in an interview. “It was unifying. She is going to be a cultural force for a long time.”

Penguin Random House will also publish a poetry collection titled “The Hill We Climb and Other Poems” on Sept. 21. The publisher will print 1 million hardcover copies of that book. That title was No. 2 on Amazon’s Top 100 bestseller list Thursday.

In addition, Penguin Random House will publish 1 million hardcover copies of Ms. Gorman’s debut picture book, “Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem,” illustrated by Loren Long. The book was acquired in 2019, said a company spokeswoman. It ranked No. 1 on Amazon’s Top 100 bestseller list Thursday.

“We were trying to figure out who to compare her to, and there wasn’t any other poet on our list in terms of this velocity,” Ms. McIntosh added.

Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at [email protected]