How to Get Your Book on the New York Times Best Sellers List

A best seller list is an invaluable asset for authors who aim to promote and sell their books. It may lead to increased media coverage, higher speaking fees, new consulting opportunities, and much more.

Recently, The New York Times best sellers list has been in the spotlight. There have been allegations of curated elitism, dubious methodologies, bribery and editorial bias surrounding it.

What is a best seller?

A best seller is a book that has sold an abundance of copies and gained widespread attention from readers. In the US, bestsellers tend to be listed on The New York Times Best Sellers list; however, other lists also exist.

The NYT lists are composed of weekly sales reports collected from selected independent and chain bookstores as well as wholesalers across America. While these primarily reflect print book sales, they also encompass digital and audiobooks.

To be considered a bestseller, your book must sell at least 100 copies each week in order to qualify. While this isn't an exact science, it serves as an effective guideline to follow.

Another way to judge whether your book is successful is by checking how often it appears on other companies' best seller lists. Amazon uses a ranking algorithm that tracks total sales history to assign the Best Seller badge, and you can compare your book against others in that same list to see if it ranks among the top 20% of other products within that category.

Becoming a best seller on Amazon is no small feat, and it takes time. But if your book has an outstanding product and an effective marketing plan, all the effort will be worth it in the end.

In addition to your book's sales, the best sellers list takes into account how much buzz it has generated and how often it's recommended in other publications. That is why having a strong marketing plan and social media strategy for your book is so essential.

Publishers may attempt to purchase their way onto the best sellers list by purchasing large numbers of a book, but this can be problematic legally and ethically. Furthermore, guaranteeing your sales are counted correctly by the New York Times requires having an effective distribution network in place and that your book is distributed appropriately.

What is the criteria for a best seller?

One of the most renowned and esteemed bestseller lists in publishing is The New York Times best sellers list, published weekly since 1931. It's widely regarded as an indicator for success in publishing and can be a great platform to build a name for yourself and reach potential readers.

However, making it onto the best seller list can be a challenging endeavor. There are various rules and guidelines that must be adhered to in order to be successful, and unfortunately many great books never make it onto the list due to these obstacles.

The formula for determining a best seller is quite complex, but ultimately determined by how many copies you sell in any given week. This number varies based on the type of book and how many other books are competing for that same spot that week.

For instance, if you sell 10,000 copies of your book in one week, it is likely to be a top seller on The New York Times list. On the contrary, if only 5,000 copies are sold during that time, then no major bestseller lists will include it.

Another criteria is having sold your book through a traditional publishing house. This helps ensure that your book makes an even larger impact on the New York Times best sellers list, since they have more contact with the publisher and can be more selective when selecting which titles to include on their lists.

Additionally, the New York Times bestseller list only takes into account sales that occurred that week. This is significant as it means a book that sold well in the past but didn't do as well this time will not make it onto the list, no matter how much it sold in previous years.

There's also the WSJ bestseller list, which uses Nielson's BookScan to determine which books sell the most in their categories. This provides a more accurate measure of overall success but excludes big-box retailers and self-publishing platforms. Therefore, it's crucial that your book reach readers as soon as possible so that it has the highest chance of being included on this prestigious list.

How do I get my book on a best seller list?

Bestsellers are books that sell a large number of copies within a short amount of time. To make it onto one of these lists, your book must meet certain criteria; however, these requirements vary depending on which list you aim to hit.

The New York Times ranks among the most esteemed lists, compiling sales data from thousands of retailers nationwide. They collect this information over a single week and then weigh it several ways to arrive at an overall figure.

To be considered for publication on the New York Times list, your book must sell 5,000 copies during one week. These sales should come from various bookstores such as major chain stores like Barnes and Noble, independent shops, and E-commerce platforms like Amazon.

Additionally, you should encourage pre-orders as these can help your books reach the New York Times list before their official release date. Unfortunately, if the books are shipped before that time, they will not count as "sales."

Another key to getting on the NYT list is making sure your books are available in multiple formats. This is especially crucial if you're a self-published author or have either a print-on-demand (POD) or digital-only version of your book.

Finally, make sure you have an effective publicity plan in place to get your book noticed. This could include anything from book signings and radio/TV ads, to social media campaigns.

The New York Times lists are highly sought-after, but they're not the only ones out there. The Wall Street Journal also publishes a highly sought-after bestseller list which relies heavily on NPD BookScan for comprehensive sales tracking data.

In order to be included on the Wall Street Journal list, you must have both electronic and paperback sales. While this requirement is more challenging than for the NYT, it's not impossible.

Finally, you have to determine what works best for your book and market. For some authors, paying for advertising or purchasing book reviews on sites like Goodreads can boost their chances of making the WSJ list. Conversely, for others it may be best to rely on self-promotion and be patient with WSJ selection process.

What are the differences between a best seller and a bestseller?

A bestseller is a book that sells many copies over time, unlike a best seller, which is the title with the most copies sold in one week or month.

A best seller is a book published by an established publisher and heavily promoted to the public. It typically receives high praise from critics and has generated much media coverage.

For decades, The New York Times bestseller list has been revered as the pinnacle of bestseller lists. Other national lists such as Publishers Weekly, USA Today and Wall Street Journal differ in how they calculate their rankings.

Most bestseller lists use sales figures sourced from various sources, such as independent bookstores and online sellers. Books are usually ranked according to how much they sell; The Indie bestseller list uses only numbers from non-chain bookstores while The New York Times list includes wholesale and retail sales from many locations - including many major chain stores.

Bestseller lists aren't the only criteria for being on one, but they are certainly the most influential. Additionally, your book must have had significant sales in a relatively short period of time in order to be eligible for inclusion on these lists.

For instance, you must achieve sales of at least 5,000 to 10,000 books in a week from multiple retailers rather than from your own website or through only one marketplace such as Barnes and Noble. While these sales targets may seem difficult to achieve, they do exist.

Another prerequisite for making the bestseller list is that your book must be available at various retailers across America and in different geographic locations. To achieve this feat, you need a diverse range of sales rather than simply selling many copies to yourself and followers.