How hard it is to do, and the tradeoffs involved (and they are big).I’m not telling you it can’t be a goal.īut before you decide to go for it anyway, you need to be aware of two things: Right now, you might be thinking, “ OK, even if it is all true, being a bestselling author is still a goal of mine and I want it, so I’m still going to try for it. Why (Most) Authors Are Better Off Not Trying for Bestseller Lists
The same thing is true, to different degrees, with the other major national lists- The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly. I have access, and I can see how much the New York Times list varies from the Nielsen report of actual books sold (anyone in publishing can see this, and it is a known fact). You can see this clearly if you have access to Nielsen BookScan, which is the database that tracks paid sales covering about 70-80% of book outlets. I’ve seen this so many times, and so has everyone else in publishing. In essence, they select who they will and won’t put in the “cool kids” club. It is a valid legal argument…but it also means The New York Times admitted that their bestseller list is just a popularity contest, and not a list of best selling books. The New York Times won the case, in multiple rulings all the way up to the Supreme Court, based on the argument that the list is not supposed to be accurate, but reflects their judgment. He rightly claimed that the New York Times was intentionally excluding it for editorial reasons-the book was considered very controversial at the time-and claimed that their decision was costing him millions of dollars in sales.īecause the New York Times defense was that “the list did not purport to be an object compilation of information but instead was an editorial product.” It sold more than enough copies to be high on the list for a long time, but initially did not appear on it. You know why they have to admit this publicly? They were sued about it.įor most of the 20th century, they pretended to use a scientific method to count book sales, and claimed their list was authoritative and accurate.Īnd then William Blatty wrote a novel called The Exorcist (which has sold 10 million copies and became a famous movie). They readily admit that their list is only “reflective” of books that are selling at a certain number of bookstores and online retailers around the country-but not an actual best seller list. The most important bestseller list is The New York Times Best Seller List, and they are the worst culprit at this curated elitism. And they’re picking books based on what they think are “important” books, not based on what is actually selling. No bestseller list measures the actual best selling books.Įvery single list is either measuring a limited number of sales in a few places, or far worse, it’s a curated list and a small group of people are deciding what to put on their list. Let me repeat that, so you can grasp the gravity of what it means:
Simply put: every bestseller list is a lie because no bestseller list measures the best selling books. Why Every “Bestseller List” Is Always a Lie If you’re serious about writing and publishing your book, schedule a consultation to speak with one of our Author Strategists. Note: We’ve worked with over 2,000 Authors, including bestsellers like David Goggins and Tiffany Haddish.
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