3 Reasons Why It’s So Effing Hard To Be a New York Times Bestseller
A few years ago, a client of mine hit the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists — but never appeared on the New York Times bestseller list the way that she wanted to. Unfortunately, her story is not that unusual.
Here are three reasons why.
#1. Unlike other bestsellers lists — which are based on sales numbers alone — The New York Times is a curated list based on their own factors which are unknown to both the publishing industry and the general public. Make no mistake; the way they put their bestsellers’ lists together is a better kept secret than anything I’ve ever seen short of my Grandma’s bread recipe, which she intentionally left incomplete on any recipe card she gave to people, making her bread impossible to replicate after she died in 2005. If you figure out how the New York Times is determining their bestsellers list outside of a single person sitting in an office overlooking Times Square — let me know. Personally, I’d be surprised if there’s a consistent system outside of personal bias, because there’s just that much inconsistency.
#2. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s hard for a new title to even appear on the NYT list because the majority of both the Advice, How-to, and Miscellaneous list and both the paperback and hardcover nonfiction lists are either celebrity titles or what we call “backlist” — books that have been out for longer than a year. Atomic Habits by James Clear is the greatest example, having been on the list for 250+ weeks (as of me writing this in September 2024).
Consider this: James Clear has seen himself on the bestseller list since before we heard of Covid-19. Let that land.
#3. In part because of self- and hybrid publishers, there are more books published every year. Because of that — and people having more options for entertainment and leisure and information than ever before — it’s hard for any individual book to stand out. (Which is itself similar to entrepreneurs and experts trying to be heard on social media and through digital marketing.)
According to Circana Bookscan, which tracks book sales, there were approximately 500,000+ books published in 2023. Even though book sales as a whole are actually increasing — to more than 767 million individual copies sold — that averages out to 1,534 copies per book title. Which is far, far less than the bestsellers lists require.
I know this because my client who did not appear on the New York Times bestseller list sold over 15,000 books both in pre-order and in the first week her book was on sale. That’s why she landed on the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists.
For what it’s worth — I don’t think landing on the bestseller lists is a great goal for folks to have. Instead, I’d rather have my authors become what’s known as “backlist bestsellers” — books that do OK in their first year on sale and then sell consistently year after year after year. That’s the best way to have your book not only “make money” but also consistently support you and your business through word-of-mouth, leads, and ultimately sales.
