Best Seller Books
Whether you're a avid or casual reader, have you ever wondered just what is meant when you see a certain book on a "best seller" list? Does that mean it sold over one million copies? How does a book become a best seller? You might be surprised to know that there's no set number of copies or standard formula which defines any one "best seller books" list. All the well known lists use different criterion to determine which are best seller books and which are not. One well-respected list won't even divulge their secret formula.
Best seller books may be loosely defined as ones of current popularity. That being the case, there's a lot of wiggle room for the big lists. In many cases, the lists may themselves drive some part of the marketing which is driving sales. For example, a publisher may have connections through agents, editors and retailers which create a boost in sales and position on certain lists, effectively creating best seller books.
You'd think that a book would have to be terrifically good reading to gain best seller status. Yet the novel you see on this week's best seller books list may seem a boring read, making you wonder why you don't appreciate "good lierature."
The various lists usually are divided in two -- fiction and non-fiction. Consider this: Several sources report that The New York Times created their Children's Books section in 2001 to separate the Harry Potter series and clear out a space for other titles in the number 1, 2 and 3 spots on their Fiction list, which Harry Potter had been hogging for over a year!
The New York Times collects both wholesale and retail data, thus being perhaps more inclusive and closer to reality in terms of actual public popularity.
The Book Sense best seller books determine elite status only from sales generated through independent book stores. This method of data collection could skew results considerably. Some people only shop for books in the large chains, never going inside their neighborhood "mom & pop" book shop.
Amazon.com, the giant online bookseller has yet another way of naming best seller books on their list. Amazon updates its list every hour, with data collected on sales from their own site. (How else could they update their list so quickly?)
In fact, many self-published authors use cleverly timed marketing campaigns where buyers receive something free from the author, like an e-book or a free trial version of software, for purchases made on a certain day in a certain time frame. All to achieve, if only for the moment, a coveted spot on Amazon's top 100 best sellers list and the associated bragging rights.
So you can see there's many a way to construct a list of best seller books. What's number one on one list may never see the light of day on another. So look over that book before snatching it off the shelf. See if what's inside is of interest to you!