I think the media is playing up the Amazon-challenges-the-NYT angle, myself, but it does make for a good headline/post title. 
Amazon just launched Amazon Charts, a new weekly rankings system that aggregates its order data with Kindle and Audible behavioral data to highlight not just the biggest sellers but also the most-read titles. As the Guardian points out, the behavioral data isn't exactly new, but this is the first time Amazon has wielded the information in an official capacity.
Right now, the weekly list is very high level—it's broken down by fiction and nonfiction, with 20 titles for each. Nothing more granular than that, though perhaps that will come later. The biggest surprise to me was that people are still reading Harry Potter at a volume high enough that HP titles claim 25% of the Most-Read Fiction list.
I'm a data nerd so always love to look at stuff like this, but as far a prestige goes, Amazon ain't got a patch on the New York Times. I think its lack of transparency over how it compiles its lists perhaps even adds to that.
Edited to add: I just realized that one of the major differences between this and any other bestseller list is that Amazon also includes the agent of each book. This means Amazon isn't just targeting the casual reader with this list - it's also hoping us writers reference it. Verrrrry interesting.
Amazon just launched Amazon Charts, a new weekly rankings system that aggregates its order data with Kindle and Audible behavioral data to highlight not just the biggest sellers but also the most-read titles. As the Guardian points out, the behavioral data isn't exactly new, but this is the first time Amazon has wielded the information in an official capacity.
Right now, the weekly list is very high level—it's broken down by fiction and nonfiction, with 20 titles for each. Nothing more granular than that, though perhaps that will come later. The biggest surprise to me was that people are still reading Harry Potter at a volume high enough that HP titles claim 25% of the Most-Read Fiction list.
I'm a data nerd so always love to look at stuff like this, but as far a prestige goes, Amazon ain't got a patch on the New York Times. I think its lack of transparency over how it compiles its lists perhaps even adds to that.
Edited to add: I just realized that one of the major differences between this and any other bestseller list is that Amazon also includes the agent of each book. This means Amazon isn't just targeting the casual reader with this list - it's also hoping us writers reference it. Verrrrry interesting.
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