The New York Times has been highlighting bestsellers via a list since 1942, a very long time and it has become a very important part of a publisher’s / editor’s / author’s work week.
For me, I find it fascinating so much energy surrounds the Bestseller Lists.
To make the list, a book must have higher sales during that week compared to sales against all other books. One year a writer may hit #2 by selling 30,000 copies while the next year the same writer may only sell 25,000 copies and hit #1. That intrigues me for some reason.
Year 2008 saw some great books come out. Below is a list of New York Times bestsellers based on their debut placement:
Sci-Fi/Fantasy (hardcover):
- Christine Feehan (Dark Curse, 1st)
- Laurell Hamilton (Blood Noir, 1st)
- Sherrilyn Kenyon (Acheron, 1st)
- Stephen King (Duma Key, 1st)
- Dean Koontz (Odd Hours, 1st)
- Stephenie Meyers (The Host, 1st)
- Neal Stephenson (Anathem, 1st)
- Sean Williams (The Force Unleased, 1st)
- Terry Brooks (The Gypsy Morph, 2nd)
- Jim Butcher (Small Favor, 2nd)
- Stephen King (Just After Sunset, 2nd)
- Laurell Hamilton (Swallowing Darkness, 3rd)
- R.A. Salvatore (The Pirate King, 3rd)
- Gregory Maguire (A Lion Among Men, 4th)
- Kim Harrison (The Outlaw Demon Wails, 5th)
- Charlaine Harris (From Dead to Worse, 6th)
- Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader, 7th)
- Gingrich/Forstchen, (Days of Infamy, 11th)
- Herbert/Anderson (Paul of Dune, 11th)
- Karen Traviss (Order 66, 12th)
- Jim Butcher (Princeps' Fury, 13th)
- Orson Scott Card (Ender in Exile, 16th)
- Raymond Feist (Wrath of a Mad God, 16th)
- Kelley Armstrong (Personal Demon, 18th)
- David Weber (By Schism Rent Asunder, 18th)
- Elizabeth Moon (Victory Conditions, 19th)
- Salman Rushdie (The Enchantress of Florence, 19th)
- Mercedes Lackey (Foundation, 20th)
- Kelley Armstrong (Living with the Dead, 21st)
- Brandon Sanderson (The Hero of Ages, 21st)
- Mary Janice Davidson (Undead and Unworthy, 22nd)
- Anne McCaffrey (Dragon Harper, 23rd)
- Anne Bishop (Tangled Webs, 26th)
- Robin Hobb (Renegade's Magic, 26th)
- R.A. Salvatore (The Ancient, 27th)
- Barb & J.C. Hendee (Child of a Dead God, 28th)
- Naomi Novik (Victory of Eagles, 28th)
- John Updike (The Widows of Eastwick, 29th)
- Jacqueline Carey (Kushiel's Mercy, 30th)
- Todd McCaffrey (Dragonheart, 31st)
- F. Paul Wilson (By the Sword, 31st)
Urban Fantasy (paperback):
- Sherrilyn Kenyon (One Silent Night, 1st)
- Patricia Briggs (Iron Kissed 1st, Cry Wolf 4th)
- Lynsay Sands (Vampire, Interrupted, 6th)
- Karen Chance (Embrace the Night, 6th)
- Keri Arthur (the Darkest Kiss, 16th)
- Simon Green (The Man with the Golden Torc, 22nd)
- Karen Chance (Midnight's Daughter, 26th)
- Vicki Petersson (A Touch of Twilight, 27th)
- Ilona Andrews (Magic Burns, 32nd)
- Jocelyn Drake (Nightwalker, 32nd)
- Carrie Vaughn (Kitty and the Silver Bullet, 34th)
- Marjorie Liu (Iron Hunt, 35th)
YA (hardcover):
- Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book, 1st)
- Stephenie Meyers (Breaking Dawn, 1st)
- Christopher Paolini (Brisingr, 1st)
- James Patterson (The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, 1st)
- Cassandra Clare (City of Bone and Ash, 3rd)
- Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games, 4th)
- Michael Scott (The Magician, 4th)
- Terry Pratchett (Nation, 5th)
- Melissa Marr (Ink Exchange, 8th)
- M.T. Anderson (The Kingdom on the Waves, 9th)
- Cory Doctorow (Little Brother, 9th)
- Kelley Armstrong (The Summoner, 10th)
Leave a comment