Curious for more specifics on the hardcover vs. Kindle thing. Are Kindle pre-orders counted as some fraction of a hardcover order? If so, what is that fraction?
My understanding is that hardcover and e-book sales are counted for different categories of The New York Times Bestsellers List. (There are several categories for non-fiction: hardcover, paperback, e-book, and combined print and e-book.)
Reaching the hardcover bestseller list tends to get more attention for new releases than the e-book bestseller list, so it’s a more valuable list to be on.
This does not seem to be correct. The list you linked for e-books is dated 2017, which partly explains why it has old books. The current NYT list is combined:
Ah, thank you for pointing out the outdated e-book link! (Just edited to remove.) The bestseller list switched from having just e-books as a category to a combined print and e-books category, as you describe. It’s still advantageous to order the hardcover since this list is given more attention for new books, and it is more difficult to hit the combined print and e-book list, since it involves competing with more books.
Pre-ordered a hardcover copy!
Curious for more specifics on the hardcover vs. Kindle thing. Are Kindle pre-orders counted as some fraction of a hardcover order? If so, what is that fraction?
Thanks, Garrison!
My understanding is that hardcover and e-book sales are counted for different categories of The New York Times Bestsellers List. (There are several categories for non-fiction: hardcover, paperback, e-book, and combined print and e-book.)
Reaching the hardcover bestseller list tends to get more attention for new releases than the e-book bestseller list, so it’s a more valuable list to be on.
This does not seem to be correct. The list you linked for e-books is dated 2017, which partly explains why it has old books. The current NYT list is combined:
https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/
Methodology here:
https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/methodology/
Correct me if I’m wrong
Ah, thank you for pointing out the outdated e-book link! (Just edited to remove.) The bestseller list switched from having just e-books as a category to a combined print and e-books category, as you describe. It’s still advantageous to order the hardcover since this list is given more attention for new books, and it is more difficult to hit the combined print and e-book list, since it involves competing with more books.