These uncertain times have seen a renewed interest in serious nonfiction, as people try to make sense of an unstable world• The best ‘brainy’ books of the last 10 yearsThis is a story about a book that just kept selling, catching publishers, booksellers and even its author off guard. In seeking to understand the reasons for the book’s unusually protracted shelf life, we uncover important messages about our moment in history, about the still-vital place of reading in our culture, and about the changing face of publishing.The book is Sapiens, by the Israeli academic Yuval Noah Harari, published in the UK in September 2014. It’s a recondite work of evolutionary history charting the development of humankind through a scholarly examination of our ability to cooperate as a species. Sapiens sold well on publication, particularly when it came out in paperback in the summer of 2015. What’s remarkable about it, though, is that it’s still selling in vast numbers. In its first two and a half years of life, Sapiens sold just over 200,000 copies in the UK. Since 2017, when Harari published Homo Deus, his follow-up, Sapiens has sold a further half million copies, establishing itself firmly at the top of the bestseller lists (and convincingly outselling its sequel). Sapiens has become a publishing phenomenon and its wild success is symptomatic of a broader trend in our book-buying habits: a surge in the popularity of intelligent, challenging nonfiction, often books that are several years... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
We’re well into the holiday buying season now, and the bestseller lists reflect that. There aren’t any books that made ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-12-19 12:45:00 UTC ]
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For the last few months, the bestseller lists couldn’t seem to agree on the biggest books of the moment. They ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-12-12 11:15:00 UTC ]
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Vicky Ball expressed delight on X at selling two novels at an event – then catapulted up Amazon’s book chartsAn aspiring author who went viral after selling two books at an event has described seeing her novel climb up Amazon’s bestseller charts as “amazing” and “unbelievable”.Vicky Ball, a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-12-07 11:51:19 UTC ]
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World Without End topped bestseller lists but was criticised for embracing nuclear powerIn 2019, France’s best known climate expert sat down to work with its most feted graphic novelist. The result? Perhaps the most terrifying comic ever drawn.Part history, part analysis, part vision for the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-10-19 04:00:05 UTC ]
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The Chinese bestseller lists in August showed an unusual level of interest in newer works as well as the traditionally favored classics. The post China Bestsellers in August: Charting Summer’s End appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-09-30 04:05:32 UTC ]
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The two bestselling authors who both started in TV discuss writing as a second career, natural justice – and what they really think of literary fictionIn the four years since Richard Osman published his first Thursday Murder Club novel he has consistently topped the bestseller lists, and now his... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-09-14 09:00:23 UTC ]
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China's April bestseller lists are starting to include more mental-health content for young readers, looking at 'insensitive force' and expressiveness. The post China Bestsellers in April: ‘Insensitive Force’ and Expression appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-31 11:44:56 UTC ]
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The Australian author is ‘incredibly influential’, but has had to survive decades of ‘cultural cringe’ and genre snobbery to make finally ‘a decent sort of living’Before parched and dusty towns across Australia became full of fictional sinister people; before the explosion of outback noir and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 23:00:18 UTC ]
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Happy Leap Year! Let's look back at the books that dominated bestseller lists on previous leap years. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-02-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher tells investors profits will exceed expectations, attributing this to release of House of Flame and Shadow The publisher Bloomsbury has lifted its annual profit forecasts after the latest novel from the fantasy author Sarah J Maas topped bestseller lists across the world, aided by fans... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-02-14 13:36:52 UTC ]
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In 2023, the major publishers maintained their grip on the bestseller lists, but indies scored some notable successes, with Entangled, Kensington, and Sourcebooks among those making inroads. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Our exclusive November bestseller lists in China saw boosts from annual 'Double 11' sales and a new interest in traditional Chinese medicine. The post China Bestsellers: ‘Three-Body’ News and November Sales appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-08 17:36:42 UTC ]
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With this past weekend's edition, the 'Journal' has ended running weekly bestseller lists. The paper had carried a total of seven lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestseller lists of recent years have shown that our interest in the tales of the ancient Greeks is still going strong after three millennia, and even experiencing a renaissance. This is a testament, I think, to the timelessness of their content: the deeply human passions and agonies that they... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-24 09:52:27 UTC ]
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The New York Times Young Adult Bestseller list celebrated its 10th anniversary in December 2022. Here's a look at what it shows. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-06 11:36:00 UTC ]
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Holly Black has the #6 book in the country with the YA high fantasy 'The Stolen Heir.' Plus adult romance author Talia Hibbert makes the move to YA with 'Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute,' and January book club picks hit the bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Awards and screen adaptations drive fiction, while humorous history stokes nonfiction, on China's October bestseller lists from OpenBook. The post China Bestsellers: History, Awards, Humor appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-12-13 17:47:51 UTC ]
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Writerly craft, online serialization, television appearances, and studies of loneliness propelled titles onto the September bestseller lists in China. The post China Bestsellers in September: ‘Humor and Wisdom’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-16 09:12:19 UTC ]
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It was a chance to finally get around to Tolstoy or Proust, but the charts tell a different story. Which books did we actually turn to in the lockdowns? • Let us know in the comments what you were reading Back in spring 2020, when it became clear that coronavirus wasn’t going away, book lovers... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-11 09:00:06 UTC ]
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The children's book sector of the Chinese market's bestseller lists is led by the German financial coach Bodo Schäfer. The post China Bestsellers for March: Financial Savvy for Kids appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-30 15:04:08 UTC ]
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