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 ]

Other news stories related to: "An author bought his own book to get higher on bestseller lists. Is that fair?"


Colouring books for adults top Amazon bestseller list

Surge in popularity of genre attributed to ‘anti-stress’ benefits and nostalgiaThe bestselling title on Amazon in the US right now is not Harper Lee’s hugely anticipated second novel, Go Set a Watchman, or George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series, or even Zoella’s much-mocked but... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amy Poehler's 'Yes Please' continues to thrive on bestseller lists

'Yes' was released almost six months ago but it's still holding steady on multiple bestseller lists. Poehler starred on the NBC sitcom 'Parks and Recreation' as well as 'Saturday Night Live' and films such as 'Anchorman 2' and 'The Secret World of Arrietty.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


iBooks Bestseller List: ‘Steve Jobs’ Lands at #2

'Becoming Steve Jobs,' Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli’s biography of the late Apple CEO, rose from the #8 spot to the #2 spot on Apple’s bestseller list for the week ended March 30. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Debuts Top February Charts

New titles dominated the top spots on bestseller lists across international markets last month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Underpants title coming this autumn

Simon and Schuster Children’s Books has bought a new title in the Underpants series from author and illustrator team Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. The series was launched in 2007 with Aliens Love Underpants and includes titles such as Dinosaurs Love Underpants and Monsters Love Underpants,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


O/R Teams with 'Evergreen Review'

Independent publisher O/R Books has partnered with the literary magazine 'Evergreen Review,' in a deal which will see O/R distributing content from the magazine via the press's direct-to-consumer model. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


World Book Day dominates charts Top 10

World Book Day titles claimed nine of the coveted positions in the Top 10 in the most successful WBD week since 2012. A combined total of 339,133 copies of the 10 books published to celebrate the annual charity reading event (held on Thursday 5th March) registered through Nielsen BookScan in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


iBooks Bestsellers: Hawkins Back On Top

Paula Hawkins’s 'The Girl on the Train' pushed E.L. James out of the top spot on Apple's bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' stays strong on bestseller lists

'Tidying Up,' which gives readers a one-time solution to de-cluttering their home, has been a mainstay on bestseller lists since its publication. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' stays strong on bestseller lists (+video)

'Tidying Up,' which gives readers a one-time solution to de-cluttering their home, has been a mainstay on bestseller lists since its publication. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Why is the forthcoming book 'The ABLES' already appearing on bestseller lists?

'ABLES' is appearing on Barnes & Noble and Amazon bestseller lists already but isn't being published until May. It follows teenager Phillip, who attends a school for those with special powers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


iBooks Bestsellers: 'Fifty Shades' Tops the Charts, Box Office

Following a record-breaking opening weekend for the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' film, which raked in in $81.7 million, the books in E.L. James's series also ruled Apple's bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


'All the Light We Cannot See' won't be dislodged from bestseller lists

'Light' came out months ago but is holding its own on bestseller lists among newer releases such as 'The Girl on the Train' by Paula Hawkins. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


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 ]
More news stories like this


Houellebecq's Soumission is France's number one

Michel Houllebecq’s latest novel Soumission (Submission) has gone straight to number one in France's bestseller lists, selling 120,000 copies in the week of 5th to 11th January. The novel, set in 2022 and featuring France with a Muslim president, leads the Top 20 GfK/ Livres Hebdo book sales... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this