The subjective world of book sales figures
Nielsen BookScan reports that 4.1 million copies of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were sold in the US in its first 24 hours of release. Industry tracker Scholastic reports that when sales at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and airports are added, the figure jumps to 6.9 million in the same period. Nielsen also reports that the mountainous region of Utah, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada accounted for 328,000 of the sales.
It’s fun to imagine astronomical sales figures, but the real business of selling books is closer to selling éclairs. Authors, publishers, and bookstore owners get up early, do their jobs, wait for customers to buy, and then deal with the unwanted leftovers. The similarities don’t stop there. Both the bakery and book businesses say that name identity, distribution, word of mouth and price make all the difference. Quality helps, but it’s not always a must because things sell better in big box stores than in a small bakery or boutique bookstore on a side street. Fortunately, judges sometimes overlook sales. Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead was rumored to have sold fewer than 10,000 before winning the Pulitzer Prize this year.
Cake tastes and book preferences are subjective and regional. Consider the week of January 29 when Nielsen’s Book standard rating nationally placed James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces at number two, while Sheri L. Dew’s If Life were Easy, It Wouldn’t Be Hard at number two. same place in Salt Lake City, Utah, although it did not rank nationally in the top fifty. But then neither is Los Angeles area number ten, 2006 Los Angeles and Orange Counties: Street Guide.
The books are also categorized by genre, which is a good marketing opportunity to showcase books that no one would otherwise have heard of. The same week Elie Wiesel’s Night was number one in adult nonfiction, Stephen King’s Cell surpassed fiction. Stitch & Bitch, Debbie Soller’s The Knitter’s Handbook topped crafts and hobbies, Vincent Douglass’s Backyard Bugs topped education, and the number one trip was Walt Disney World 2006.
The book industry isn’t eager to release exact sales figures, but it has been reported that books on a best-seller list can currently sell anywhere from thousands to millions of thousands per week. They start bragging when a book exceeds 50,000 total sales, which can include titles as diverse as Celtic Needlepoint to Raising a Daughter and Almost Vegetarian.
Choosing a favorite flash is as subjective as choosing a favorite book. Marketing techniques and availability draw attention and increase the odds, but when asked about a favorite éclair, people are just as likely to name their grandmother’s over a frozen brand as they are to name Nancy Drew over any Stephen King. .