An author bought his own book to get higher on bestseller lists. Is that fair?

Author Mark Dawson has attracted criticism after bulk buying his own book gave him a high chart position. But that isn’t breaking any rulesFor any author, being able to describe yourself as a bona fide bestseller is key to conferring your career with a certain gravitas – and will often bring you even more sales. In the UK, while most book charts are tallied by Nielsen BookScan, the Sunday Times bestseller list – like the New York Times chart in the US – has become the gold standard. But making the bestseller list isn’t necessarily as straightforward as tallying sales. Not all is fair in romance and war (and other genres) when it comes to getting to the top of the charts.Take the case of Mark Dawson, a British writer who just over a week ago hit No 8 on the Sunday Times hardback list with his thriller The Cleaner, released by the independent publisher Welbeck at the end of June. This is a great achievement for any author or small publishing house, but Dawson had done something remarkable: he bought 400 copies of his own book, at a cost of £3,600, to push his sales high enough to make the top 10. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-07-20 15:59:35 UTC ]

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Indie Book Day backed by bookshops and publishers

Indie Book Day is set to make a mark on the UK this year after starting in Germany two years ago and quickly spreading across Europe. The campaign – which hopes to become comparable to the American Record Store Day event, but for books – wants readers to flock to independent bookshops on 21st... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Karen Joy Fowler novel to Serpent's Tail

Serpent’s Tail is to bring out a novel by Karen Joy Fowler, Sister Noon, which appeared in the US in 2002 but which has never been published in the UK before. The indie publisher had success last autumn with Fowler’s Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novel We Are All Completely Beside... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NF Debut a Breakout Hit at Vanderbilt U Press

After becoming one of the press' s biggest sellers to date, Andrew Maraniss’s 'Strong Inside' has become the first title from the press to hit two 'New York Times' bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'American Sniper' Rules Bestseller List

As the cultural debate over the film American Sniper continues to swirl, the book on which it is based held the top three spots on the print bestseller list last week, according to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'All the Light We Cannot See' won't be dislodged from bestseller lists

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: ‘American Sniper’ Still Leads

The enhanced ebook of Chris Kyle’s memoir held firm at the top of Apple’s bestseller list for the week ended January 26. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Hot and Cold Categories of 2014

The self-help and graphic novels categories had the fastest growth in print book unit sales among adult segments in 2014, posting gains of 15% and 13%, respectively, compared to the previous year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Houellebecq's Soumission is France's number one

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Houellebecq’s Soumission becomes instant bestseller in wake of Paris attacks

Novel, which imagines a world where Muslim fundamentalists rule France, sells 120,000 copies in five days to top country’s book chartsRead the Guardian’s review of SoumissionMichel Houellebecq’s controversial new novel Soumission, in which France is governed by the “Muslim Fraternity” party,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W&N buys debut about female astronaut

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Can’t Stop ‘Unbroken’

Nearly two weeks after the premiere of its film adaptation, Laura Hillenbrand’s 'Unbroken' continues to dominate Apple’s bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US stats show children's dominating 2014

Children's books dominated the top of the US book charts in 2014, Nielsen BookScan's full-year statistics have revealed. Seven children's titles hit the number one spot last year and claimed pole position for 39 of the 52 weeks ending 28th December. This included an unbroken run of 15 weeks... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: ‘Unbroken’ Still Leads

Following the Christmas Day premiere of the big screen adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s 'Unbroken,' the 2010 bestseller held firm in the #1 spot on Apple’s bestseller list (the film came in at #3 at the weekend box office). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A 'Long Haul' Christmas? Wimpy Kid Dominates Charts

In the three-week shopping season that began Thanksgiving week, Jeff Kinney's newest installment in the Wimpy Kid series has sold more than 535,000 print copies at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Smith to join Bonnier Publishing

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Unbroken' YA adaptation follows original book to the bestseller lists

This past November, author Laura Hillenbrand published a young adult version of her 2010 bestseller 'Unbroken' (itself still on bestseller lists). The book for younger readers is also selling well, though reviewers disagree on whether it's necessary. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kinney takes US top spot again as Christmas sales surge 26%

As the Christmas rush got underway, the US book market surged again last week with print volumes increasing by 26% week on week. Overall, just over 20m book sales registered through Nielsen BookScan in the seven days ending 7th December. Jeff Kinney's The Long Haul (Amulet), enjoys another... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can Open Access Save the Scholarly Monograph? ALA Midwinter Spotlight

Scholarly monographs, long the gold standard for scholars in the humanities and social sciences, have been in a downward spiral for some time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Units Rose 5% over Thanksgiving

Print unit sales rose 5% in the week ended November 30, 2014 compared to Thanksgiving week in 2013 at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Black Friday boosts US book sales

Book sales in the US jumped 23% week on week in the seven days ending 30th November as 15.8 million print books registered through Nielsen BookScan. It follows two consecutive weeks of volume growth above 5%. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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