While most big publishers have forsaken ebook giveaways as a business-effective way to establish new frontlist (with thanks to Chris Anderson for helping to prove the limits of FREE), price experimentation is gaining adherents as a way of highlighting new authors in a crowded marketplace while still driving at least some revenue. Crown has experimented with a promotional price window to highlight novelist (and former ad executive) John Verdon’s debut effort THINK OF A NUMBER, acquired at auction in a major three-book deal last September. For two weeks right after publication they offered the ebook edition at a digital list […]
Bestseller Radar
Meyer Tops A Million
Little, Brown Children’s says that it has sold over a million copies of Stephenie Meyer’s novella A THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER since its release on June 5–making it “the biggest selling new book of the year so far.” In other publisher announcements, Bantam will release Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow’s THE GRAND DESIGN on September 7.
Book News: Auel Date, Larsson Strong Out the Gate
Knopf spokesman Paul Bogaards indicates that the third and final book in Stieg Larsson’s bestselling trilogy, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, had estimated first-day unit sales (in print and digital combined) in excess of 250,000 units. Two reprints just ordered will bring them up to 900,000 copies in print, as Bogaards celebrates that “we finally have a book that is driving traffic into stores…. The hope is that Larsson will prompt other sales, especially as the summer lists from publishers across the board look very strong – with standout work coming from Justin Cronin, Bret Easton Ellis, Samantha […]
Buzz by the Numbers
As you consider this year’s “official” Buzz Panel books–and all the other titles clamoring for buzz on the show floor during BEA–we thought it would be interesting to take stock of the performance of last year’s selections. Bear in mind that part of the point of the panel is to shine a light on a broad selection of books of potential merit and audience appeal that might not be top-of-the list sure things. So absolute sales numbers are not the only measure of success. But by most yardsticks, nearly all of the books featured last year met with some kind […]
More eBook Bestsellers
With a new week’s data (above) from Amazon’s Kindle, we’re rounding out last week’s comparison charts showing differentiations among the bestseller lists at leading ebook platforms with a comparable chart of the week’s bestsellers from Kobo: Kobo (May 15)1. Dead In The Family, Charlaine Harris*2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson+3. The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown+4. Lover Mine, J.R. Ward*5. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer6. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer7. Sh*t My Dad Says, Justin Halpern8. Savor The Moment, Nora Roberts* 9. The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson+10. Triple Heat, Jolene Beauchamp * Not carried in the Kindle store+ […]
Sh*t You Find On Different eBook Bestseller Lists
With reports that Amazon will start listing paid Kindle bestsellers on their site at an unspecified time in the future (as they have done promotionally via Publishers Lunch since the beginning of 2009), we were interested in the variations in bestsellers among different platforms. Though not completely equivalent comparisons because of dating (which particularly shows on the Sebastian Junger’s May 11 release), take a look at the overall market–represented by USA Today, which does incorporate Kindle sales–against four of the ebookstores. The iBookstore stands apart with Sh*t My Dad Says at No 1 for much of this week, while the […]