‘There’ is a star as a debut novel

Tommy Orange’s debut novel, “There There,” has amassed a bundle of glowing reviews.

It’s also selling phenomenally well.

The novel, a multi-voice narrative that centers on American Indians in Oakland, has sold 48,000 copies across all formats — hardcover, ebooks and audiobooks. Out since June 5, the book is already in its sixth printing, according to publisher Alfred A. Knopf.

“There There” debuted at No. 3 on The San Francisco Chronicle’s bestseller list. Last week, it rose to No. 1. The book is No. 8 on the New York Times best-seller list.

“Best-seller lists are not typically festooned with debut authors,” said Paul Bogaards, publicity director at Knopf. “I like to think of those best-selling debuts as the tiny miracles of publishing.”

It’s uncommon for a book by a debut author to sell more than several thousand copies in its first run. Breaking into the tens of thousands is considered a great success.

Ninety-five thousand copies of “There There” have been printed. “We are going to have to go back to press on this,” Bogaards said.

By way of comparison, another Knopf book sold a whopping 250,000 copies, across all formats, in its first month. But that book, “The President Is Missing,” was written by big-name authors: former President Bill Clinton and James Patterson.

“Debut fiction is challenging on a number of fronts,” Bogaards said. “There is no sales track, often the author does not have a platform to speak of, and yet many of these books sing with possibility and often command a premium advance as a result.”

Knopf is “in the discovery business,” Bogaards added. “We are committed to championing new voices. Our editors read across a range of disciplines, including commercial and literary fiction, and yes, some of what they read and fall in love with is debut fiction.”

Bogaards cited Yaa Gyasi’s “Homegoing,” Nathan Hill’s “The Nix” and Stephanie Danler’s “Sweetbitter” as recent examples of Knopf debut books “where the house and sales force and bookselling community have rallied behind the book and author. If there’s a secret sauce, it belongs to the aforesaid authors. These were (are) writers of note. If we are good at anything, it’s telegraphing works and writers of merit, and securing the trust of booksellers and media colleagues.”