Nonfiction
“96 Facts About the G.O.A.T. Athletes” Comes Out On Tuesday!
As you may know from some of my previous blog posts, for a little over two years now, I’ve been writing a series of middle-grade celebrity biographies called the “96 Facts” series for Penguin Random House. The first eight “96 Facts” books are all already available. And the ninth “96 Facts” book will come out on Tuesday April 8th, 2025. That book is called 96 Facts About the G.O.A.T. Athletes. And just to prevent any potential misunderstanding, “G.O.A.T.” means “Greatest of All Time.” This book is about the greatest athletes who’ve ever existed. (Well, SOME of them, anyway.) For instance, there are sections in the book about LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Travis Kelce, Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams, and many, many more.
But this book is NOT about athletes who happen to be goats. As in, the farm animal. I’m sure that somewhere out there, there’s a book about sporty, athletic goats with cute little horns and a goatherd who serves as their coach. And I’m sure that book is adorable. But my book is not that book. My book is about legendary (human) athletes who’ve achieved excellence in their chosen sport. And in my book, there isn’t a goatherd in sight. (At least, I don’t think so.)
Also, like all of the previous “96 Facts” books, this one is illustrated by the super-talented Risa Rodil.
Here’s the official publisher description of 96 Facts About the G.O.A.T. Athletes:
The ultimate fact book and journal for sports fans, featuring the greatest of all time (GOAT) athletes from basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and tennis!
Packed with fun facts and quick quizzes about some of the greatest athletes of all time, as well as bonus pages for journaling, this is a must-have for any sports fan.
The book is available for preorder HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Also, to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House, click HERE.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go flesh out this really great idea I just came up with for a children’s book about a bunch of athletically-gifted goats and their tough but kindhearted coach/goatherd.
The Billie Eilish “96 Facts” Book Comes Out Next Month!
As you might know, for roughly two years now, I’ve been writing a series of middle-grade celebrity biographies called the “96 Facts” series for Penguin Random House. The first seven “96 Facts” books are all already available. And the eighth “96 Facts” book will come out on Tuesday February 11th, 2025. That book is called 96 Facts About Billie Eilish. And like its predecessors, this book is illustrated by the mega-talented Risa Rodil.
Here’s the official publisher description of 96 Facts About Billie Eilish:
The ultimate fact book and journal for fans of Billie Eilish! Packed with fun facts and quick quizzes about the superstar singer, as well as bonus pages for journaling, this is a must-have for any Billie Eilish fan.
The book is available for preorder HERE and HERE.
And to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House – including the first seven “96 Facts” books – click HERE.
I’m On the ABA’s 2024 Indie Bestsellers List!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll recall that one of my “96 Facts” books, 96 Facts About Taylor Swift, made the USA Today Bestseller List last year. Well, more recently (earlier this month, in fact), that same book made the American Booksellers Association’s 2024 Indie Bestsellers List. (It’s number 5 on the “Early & Middle Grade Readers” section.)
So now it’s on two bestseller lists. Which feels great, and it’s a nice way to close out the year.
Check out the full ABA Indie Bestsellers List HERE.
And just in case you’re interested, you can see the 96 Facts About Taylor Swift listing on the USA Today Best-selling Booklist (from December of 2023) HERE. 
You can also buy a copy of 96 Facts About Taylor Swift HERE or HERE.
Oh, and if you’re so inclined, you can check out all of the books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (including all of the other “96 Facts” books) on the “Arie Kaplan” page on the PRH site, which you can see HERE.