There are thousands of new books available on any given day. And every one of them gets read, even if it’s only by the author’s mother. Some books make the best-seller lists and still aren’t read by as many people as you might think. That’s because the lists’ rankings depend on orders by bookstores, not necessarily sales and certainly not on remainder figures.
Even when it’s reported that a certain book sold hundreds of thousands in one day, you have to take it with a grain of salt. But those kinds of reports can tell you what people are reading and what publishers and booksellers think will be big sellers.
The recent release of Christopher Paolini’s YA novel, Brisingr, reportedly sold 550,000 copies in its first day of release, making it the biggest one-day seller for Random House. The Guardian reported Brisingr sold 45,000 its first day on sale in the UK and 30,000 copies sold in 48 hours in Australia.
While that’s a record for Random House, it’s not a record for sales overall. Stephenie Meyer’s recent release, Breaking Dawn, sold 1.3 million copies it its first day, 20,000 in the UK. But topping them both was JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with 8.3 million copies in one day. (It seemed odd to me that the Guardian reported that Rowling’s book sold only 2.6 million the first day in the UK.)
One thing to ponder about Paolini’s book, the third in his series, is that he wrote the first one when he was only 15.
1 year ago
I think it is an accomplishment for one so young. Also I wondered if the book would have done better with a summer or Christmas release date? I went to the midnight release. Party at b &n. Not that many people were there. But I wondered if releasing it so soon after Breaking Dawn was wise. That book was over 750 pages as I recall. Given that and the fact that school had started back, may be kids hadn't finished reading the prior book.
ReplyDeleteMeyer and Paolini both are young and having great success with their books. When you look at the three series put out by Meyer, Paolini and Rowling, they're all YA books. And all three huge bestsellers. That's amazing. (Yes, all three series are read by adults, but they were originally made popular by the young teens who began reading them.)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't impressed with Eragon; in fact, I couldn't even finish it. I thought the writing read like many other teens' writing, and if people want to be impressed that a 15 year old wrote a book, well, I think there are at least half a dozen authors in any graduating class of 100 or more, many of them as talented and promising as Paolini. I'll be happy to read something Paolini writes in a few more years, because I thought his books showed definite promise, but I can't be overly impressed merely by the fact that he was 15 when he wrote the first one. I've known enough teen authors who I think are on par with Paolini's talent.
ReplyDeleteSo, what you're saying is that I'm reading and writing in the wrong genre:) People want fantasy, and who can blame them? Real life is tough to take right now.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Eragon. My son did and he liked it. He would probably agree with you that the writing wasn't the best, but he liked the adventure and action. My guess is that it's the story that appeals to those who buy it. And no book is going to please every reader.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing what you're writing, LJ. You're too good at it. Besides, by the tine a writer chases a trend the trend has changed.
Ineresting stats, Helen. And I had no idea about the Paolini being15 thing.Wow.
ReplyDeleteFYI: Eragon was also originally self-published.
ReplyDeleteThat's true LJ! I had forgotten about that. He did self-publish it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to have to get the book from my son and read it!
You have to wonder if some of the bestsellers only became bestsellers because the publishers said so. Not that they didn't sell a lot of copies, but was it before or after the publisher's decree?
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com
You're right Morgan. Some books become best sellers on their own. But there are plenty of books out there that are declared best-sellers before the ARCs are even read by reviewers an booksellers. The publishers put such a push (and money) behind them, they have to be best-sellers in order to make the money back. And what better way to get someone to buy a book than to tell them everyone else is reading this book?
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