Anonymous Patron writes “The Buffalo News looks at what makes up all those best seller lists we read so much about. A best seller, nowadays, is far more than just a book that has sold a lot of copies. It’s more like the embodiment of a myth – the myth of success, desirability, fame – all contained within two glossy book covers.
A best seller guarantees big bucks to the publisher, hot sales for the bookseller and – usually – a return ticket to the best-seller list for the author. Think of John Grisham or Stephen King: Everything they write automatically hits the best-seller lists.
But today, the best seller is a phenomenon undergoing tremendous change.”
Do they influence me?
Yes, in that I’m more likely to wait for Nora Roberts to go on the best-seller, ie. bigger discount, shelf because I know that she’s going to hit it without fail. Otherwise, it doesn’t affect my personal bookbuying habits, only my professional ones.
Best-seller lists carry a lot of weight with reade
You mention Grisham. The NYTimes actually gave his latest a very ho-hum review. Basically, if you like Grisham, okay. But, this book is just more of the same.
And the best seller list doesn’t have any affect on my purchasing. I don’t buy books anymore. I borrow them from the library. You can tell a “best seller” by how many reserve requests there are.