And, Jeffrey Gegner, Popular Materials Specialist at Hennepin County P.L. guessed it over a month ago.

The AP confirmed the pick this morning, before the Oprah show aired in Chicago. They uncovered the news when they found a copy of Edgar in a bookstore with the Oprah sticker on the cover.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle David Wroblewski

• Hardcover: $25.95
• Publisher: Ecco (June 10, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0061374229
• ISBN-13: 9780061374227

• Audio CD: Unabridged, 18 CDs, 21.5 hrs., $39.95 
• Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC 
• Narrator: Richard Poe
• ISBN-10: 1436160308
• ISBN-13: 978-14361603

• Large Print Paperback: $25.95
• Publisher: HarperLuxe; (August 19, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0061691623
• ISBN-13: 978-0061691621

The drumbeats are increasing for Oprah’s next pick, to be announced a week from Friday — the AP has a story today.

We began speculating several weeks ago, when Jeffrey Gegner, Popular Materials Specialist at Hennepin County spotted a blind listing on both B&T and Ingram for “Oprah Book Club #62,” a HarperCollins title with a price of $25.95 in hardcover, also available in large type. No paperback version was listed, indicating it’s a new title.

Jeffrey noted that The Story of Edgar Sawtelle fits all the clues — published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, priced at $25.95 and not yet available in paperback.

My guess was Brida by Paul Coelho. I thought a novel about a spiritual quest would appeal to Oprah. It’s also from HarperCollins, in hardcover and large type, but I overlooked the fact that it’s priced at a dollar less than “Oprah Book Club #62.”

Two other excellent guesses from our readers, The Lace Reader and The Art of Racing in the Rain, are also a dollar cheaper than #62.

The MediaBistro book publishing blog, GalleyCat got into the game this week. Checking on B&N, GC says it appears the title will be available in trade paper next week. That makes sense, since Oprah has stuck to titles available in paperback for the Club.

GalleyCat’s original prediction was Edward P. Jones’s short story collection, All Aunt Hagar’s Children, Right hardcover price, right publisher, but it turns out that it’s already available in trade paper. Another thought is the forthcoming title by an early and very popular Oprah Book Club author, Wally Lamb. The Hour I First Believed is not due until until November and is four dollars more than #62, but GC notes, a publisher would surely be willing to change both if they could for an Oprah pick (but, damn, that kind of thinking renders all clues useless!)

But a wise GalleyCat reader suggests it’s Edgar Sawtelle.

Jeffrey, I have the feeling you nailed this one.

Oprah in reruns still has impact. After yesterday’s rerun of the December show with Elizabeth Gilbert, the trade paperback of Eat, Pray, Love went from #31 to #1.

Not only that, the audio went from #7,959 to #265 and the original hardcover from #17,119 to #152 (later — these numbers are from Amazon, as our astute commenter points out. Thanks for the clarification). 

Mark your calendars for Friday, Sept. 19; when Oprah announces the next title in her Book Club. We’ve place our bets; how about you?

Sharp-eyed Jeffrey Gegner, Popular Materials Specialist at Hennepin County noticed a blind listing on both B&T and Ingram, for a new Oprah Book Club Selection (”Oprah Book Club #62″), scheduled for 9/15. As Jeffrey points out, only a hardcover and a large print edition are listed:

Hardcover

• Harpercollins 
• 9780061768064 
• $25.95

Large Type

• HarperLuxe
• 9780061768088 
• $25.95

This suggests a recent title, not yet available in paperback (unusual; after her first pick, Oprah’s stuck to titles available in trade paperback). Jeffrey wonders if the pick might be The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (published by Ecco, a division of HarperCollins). That seems like a strong possibility, given Oprah’s love of dogs and the recent death of her own beloved cocker spaniel.

It would be refreshing if Oprah returned to fiction for the Book Club after her detour into spiritual self help, a category strong on HarperCollins lists. Perhaps a spiritual quest novel, like Paulo Coelho’s Brida, which is also available only in hardcover and large type?

That’s where I place my bet. Are we on, Jeffrey?

• Paperback: $14.00
• Publisher: Penguin (January 30, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0452289963
• ISBN-13: 978-0452289963

It seems like an such odd choice that I’m not sure I’ve got it right. But, right there on Oprah’s Book Club site, with the Oprah Book Club logo printed on the jacket is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. It’s also up on the Amazon site as the new selection, so I guess this is the one.

It’s certainly a book that fits Oprah’s interests, but, unlike other Oprah Book Club picks, this is not a book to read as literature. It’s no One Hundred Years of Solitude or Anna Karenina. It’s also no Just in Case.

Right now, the book’s sales rank is #77,647 on Amazon. It will be interesting to see where it is after the show airs.

Oprah’s site also announces a 10-week webinar on the book that will run on Wednesday nights for ten weeks, beginning March 3rd. To be part of it, you have to reserve a seat.

On Wednesday, we’ll learn what the true title of Oprah Book Club #61 (ISBN 9780452289963). We’re on pins and needles to see if GalleyCat was correct in his speculation that the book is Meg Rosoff’s Just in Case. Rosoff, who was scheduled to appear at the MidWinter FOLUSA Author Tea did not show up for that event. The audience was told that she very much regretted that she couldn’t make it because of a family emergency. Maybe she was saving her strength?

Although Just in Case is a YA title, Rosoff has crossover appeal. Her latest book, What I Was,  came out earlier this month from Viking Adult. It was published last year in the UK as a YA title.

Ken Follett will also appear on Oprah on Wednesday, for the wrap-up show about the current selection Pillars of the Earth.

Over at the blog “GalleyCat” Oprah speculation is gearing up. Based on a hint that Oprah’s next pick may be a $14 paperback from Penguin Putnam’s Plume imprint, GalleyCat sat down and checked out every recent $14 title in the Plume catalog. One of the six is Meg Rosoff’s Just in Case.

We’ll be checking to see if Rosoff has a special glow during her appearance at the FOLUSA Tea during MidWinter on Monday.

GalleyCat notes as a “con” for the selection that the book was originally published as a YA novel, but “on the other hand, Plume clearly believes Rosoff has the chops to cross over to an older readership, so who’s to say Oprah wouldn’t see it that way, too?” Sadly, this casual prejudice against YA titles is endemic. No wonder Rosoff chose to release her next book, What I Was as an adult title.

The Oprah  will be announce her next books club selection on the show on January 30th.