Is Joanna Gaines poised to be the next Martha Stewart?

Martha Stewart has long been the authority on all things domestic: cooking, gardening, entertaining, and interior design. There’s someone who may soon challenge her as the reigning authority on all things home-related: Joanna Gaines’ debut cookbook, Magnolia Table, is on fire. Sales of the book have topped 169,000 in the first week, which surpasses totals for the same time period for the most recent works by Ina Garten and The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. 

Stewart’s first book, Entertaining, published in 1982 and now in its 30th printing, was the catalyst to her storied career. She branched off to other projects, including hosting both cooking and gardening television programs, promoting a line of cookware and home decorating items, and publishing an extremely popular magazine.

Gaines already has the TV hosting down, and can now claim the magazine portion as well. The quarterly that she publishes with her husband Chip, called The Magnolia Journal, exceeded one million copies in circulation by its third issue. “The magazine’s launch is the most successful in our history, and we’re 115 years old,” said Art Slusark, spokesman for Meredith Corp., the publisher of   Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, Parents, SHAPE, Martha Stewart Living  and other titles.

Since Gaines blogs about gardening, and because she has yet to write a book about the home decorating ideas that propelled her to fame, it’s easy to see how she could quickly expand her publishing footprint. She seems to be following in Martha’s footsteps, albeit with more shiplap.