What Writers Can Do With Bestseller Lists

There are many different types of bestseller
lists— New York Times , USA
Today , Publishers Weekly then every major newspaper has a
bestseller list. Also the bestseller lists are often broken into different
categories like nonfiction (hardcover and paperback), fiction (hardcover and
paperback), children's books (hardcover and paperback), etc.



Book authors need to be reading these bestseller
lists and keeping mental track of the books on them. Some authors are put off
with bestsellers. When they read them, they don't resonate with the writing and
wonder how it got on the list. There are many different ways that books get on
the list.  Whether you "like" the book or not, I believe authors need to be aware of what is on the list for several
reasons:



First, these list show you what
the reading public is buying and reading. It also shows what publishers are
creating and launching into the world.



Second, I encourage you to read or
listen to these bestselling books. You can learn from them. You don't have to
purchase these books but can often get them from your public library. If the
book is not available, then learn how to get on the hold list for the book. Even
if the book is very popular, eventually you will get the book.



Third, every writer needs to be
aware of their competition and what is going on in your area of publishing. As
an editor, I will speak with many authors. Some of these authors want to publish
a romance novel while others are working on nonfiction and yet others are writing a children's
book.  Often during the conversation I will ask if they read in their genre
or area of the market. Their response is revealing whether they are in tune with
their market or not. Some authors don't want to be “tainted” by the work of
others so they are not reading. My contention is that you can learn a great deal
about the reading public as you read and study your competition. This
information will also feed into the competition section of your book proposal ,
your marketing plans and much more.



One of my bestselling author friends reads other
books on the bestseller lists. It has been a part of his reading habit for many
years.



Do you read bestseller lists and track on this
information? Why or why not? How do you use them in your writing life? Tell us
in the comment section. 



Tweetable:



What can writers do with a bestseller list? Get some ideas here. (ClickToTweet)

 






t