The New York Times Best Seller list

The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States.[1][2] The New York Times Book Review has published the list weekly since October 12, 1931.[1] In the 21st century, it has evolved into multiple lists, grouped by genre and format, including fiction and nonfiction, hardcover, paperback and electronic.

The list is based on a proprietary method that uses sales figures, other data and internal guidelines that are unpublished—how the Times compiles the list is a trade secret.[3] In 1983, during a legal case in which the Times was being sued, the Times argued that the list is not mathematically objective but rather an editorial product, an argument that prevailed in the courts.[4] In 2017, a Times representative said that the goal is that the lists reflect authentic best sellers.[5] The list has been a source of controversy. When the Times believes a book has reached the list in a suspicious way—such as through bulk purchases—the book's entry on the list is marked with a dagger symbol (†).[6]

  1. ^ a b John Bear, The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times bestsellers since the first list, 50 years ago, Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1992.
  2. ^ Republican Representative Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, while Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection, said "the New York Times best-seller list is widely considered to be one of the most authoritative lists of which books are selling the most in American bookstores" during his Opening Statement for Hearing on H.R. 1858 Archived May 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine on June 15, 1999.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference diamond was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference miller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Bauder, David (September 4, 2017). "Conservative publisher wants nothing more to do with Times". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 23, 2019.
  6. ^ Bartnett, Erin (May 25, 2018). "Are Conservative Titles Using Shady Tricks to Get Onto the Bestseller List?". Electric Literature. Retrieved December 12, 2020.