Definition of a bestseller

I've seen a lot of authors use "bestseller" in their promos - and they've hit some obscure Amazon list for a few hours. I wonder if readers even pay attention to it any more.

If your book only reaches the top of a specific category chart, and that category is niche and tiny, please don't call yourself a best-seller. It doesn't help sell your books, but it does make you look foolish.

My agent explained it this way:

To use "National bestseller" on the cover, a book must have been on one of the following lists:

USA Today Top 150 bestseller list
NYT Top 35 Bestseller List
Publishers Weekly Top 25 bestseller list
Nielsen Bookscan Top 100 (genre specific)

The NYT 36-50 list (the "also selling well") doesn't really count for bestseller status. You may use the USAT or NYT separately, if you choose, but not PW or Nielsen. If you reach #1, you may add that to the front of NYT. #2 doesn't really count.

To use "International bestseller" on the cover, a book must have achieved one of the above bestseller lists and the top 35/25/10 (depending on the publication) of one other international newspaper or magazine. For example, a listing on the Top 150 USAT + Livres Hebdo/IPSOS in Paris would create an international bestseller.

So far, Amazon doesn't qualify to show "bestseller" by the Big Six.

Does that help?

ETA: An interesting note to this is that I heard an author mention that their publisher changed their cover from "USA Today bestselling" to "National bestselling" because some secondary market booksellers (Walmart, Target and the like) were choosing titles for their shelves from ONLY the NYT bestsellers, leaving other bestsellers no sales. By changing to "National" the bookstores can't tell which are which, so it gives the smaller titles a shot at sales.

The phrase "Amazon Bestselling Author", in particular, means zippo.

I'm not a fan of using the term bestseller for anything outside the major lists. I've seen so many writers slap "bestseller" on their books because they were briefly at the top of a small subcategory on Amazon that I now ignore those bestseller stickers.

That said, if someone was an overall Amazon bestseller or in the top 100 of a vast category like romance for weeks or months at a time, that might be impressive enough to mention. Otherwise, while I bear no ill will toward writers who call themselves bestsellers for high placement in a niche list, I wouldn't personally be comfortable doing it. It seems like a grey area to me.

I am not a best seller.

I can say that I had the "best selling" tie-in novel for my publisher in 2004, (verified by the EIC of the line). That does not make me a "best seller" though. There's a major difference. Depending on the size of the publisher and the market at any particular time, being the "best selling" may or may not be an accomplishment.

Now, if I was a USA Today best seller or a NYTimes best seller, I'd certainly trumpet that to the ends of the earth. *grin*

My book made it to #11 on one of Amazon's "Free" book listings for Mysteries/crime etc... At the same time I knew that Random House (Alibi) was considering the same book. I sent an email to the editor I had been working with saying, "For what it's worth, the book is #11...." He responded saying "It's worth a lot. Congratulations."

A few days later I was offered a contract. I'm not saying the ranking made all the difference, but if you drop the info in a humble way, I don't think it can hurt you.

I was once the best-selling author for my publisher on Amazon in M/M romance.

However, two hours later...

Kingson said:

My book made it to #11 on one of Amazon's "Free" book listings for Mysteries/crime etc... At the same time I knew that Random House (Alibi) was considering the same book. I sent an email to the editor I had been working with saying, "For what it's worth, the book is #11...." He responded saying "It's worth a lot. Congratulations."

A few days later I was offered a contract. I'm not saying the ranking made all the difference, but if you drop the info in a humble way, I don't think it can hurt you.

Click to expand...

The difference there is you were specific about what rank in what chart, and you mentioned it in a relevant context. I don't think anyone's saying that's bad. Getting in the high numbers in one of Amazon's broad categories isn't easy.

But if you listed your books as being by "bestselling author Fred Bloggs" that's much more dodgy. Because it'd be like you're implying you were a NYT bestseller. Readers are catching on to that trick, and would likely assume you were in the chart for knitting mysteries containing llamas*, where you're competing against a tiny handful of books. Which as you were in the general mystery free chart wouldn't be an assumption you'd want them to make.

(* I've no idea if this is a real category, though I can think of at least one book that'd fit it.)

A best-seller is one that's been on a best-seller list.

These include the New York Times, USA Today, and similar, or trade-specific, e.g. Locus (for science fiction).

Amazon -- doesn't count. Those numbers are meaningless in that they don't have an actual number of sales attached (in the sub-sub-categories I've seen a book become a #1 best seller by getting eight (yes, 8) sales), and easily manipulated by having all your friends buy a copy at the same time.

wouldn't it also depend on how long you stay on the list? I agree, being on the main Amazon list 'up top' for several weeks, I think that definitely counts and my publisher is aiming for that with several books. Still, NYT, I suppose a girl can dream...

It counts for the author I mean, people are more inclined to buy a book on Amazon if it has the 'bestseller' tag listed on it, thus increasing sales even further. That being said, it's awfully easy to achieve.

I don't have a solid answer for this, only to say that one of my writing buddies has been in the Amazon US and Amazon UK top 20 erotic romance chart for months, got on the NYT Bestseller list and still doesn't like using 'bestseller' in her promo, even though she's had the book at full price. I try to encourage her to use it, and when sharing stuff on her behalf I mention she is.

Then on the other hand, one of mine has been on the same list in the UK, hovering under #50 for a few days but considering it's because it was picked for Amazon's Summer sale, I don't class myself in the same category.

I guess it just depends on how comfortable you are classing yourself as a bestseller. Though if I was in my friend's position, I don't think I'd have a problem shouting out about it

I am not sure I have ever bought a book because it had a best seller tag on it, or because I saw that it was a bestseller in the NYT or Washington Post book review.

That is not to say I have not bought a book that was a bestseller, or went onto be a bestseller, but I just have never bought a book because it was a bestseller...

Since I'm so new to being published that being a bestseller is still a long range dream, I'm answering this as a reader.

When I think "bestseller", I think names like Stephen King, Nora Roberts, John Grisham, Lisa Jackson, and others like them. Even if they're not names that are that well known, they are authors and/or books that I could go into any bookstore or Walmart, or walk into my local library and find the book without having to special order/request it or being looked at like I asked if I could pee in the lobby because they don't know who I'm talking about.

I also tend to think that claiming "bestseller" because your book was at #1 in its category on Amazon is probably not the best idea. We all know that those rankings can change so easily, so quickly. As a reader, I might not know that your book was once #1, and if I see that "Bestseller" label on your book and it's down to #50, or #100, or even lower when I'm looking at your book and I don't immediately recognize your name, I'm going to have a bit of hesitation. I'm going to wonder how and why you're claiming that, and if perhaps you're not being entirely honest. I would be especially wary if it's a self-published author, because as one myself, I know very well just how easy it is to publish yourself and to create your own cover, allowing you to put whatever you want on it.