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  • Hi, Aya, how are you today?

    I just read some of the Domino Project website, and Seth Godin's opinion is very interesting. Based on all of the "Best-selling Author Launch Campaigns", I would have to say that most book buyers would at least consider buying a best selling author, over a nobody. However, when I interviewed some of the people who own these "best selling companies", I realized that there are many categories in which you could win...I thought that there were only a few categories--non-fiction, fiction etc...but that is not so. The shame is "best seller" has nothing to due with being the best, and has nothing to do with selling the most...I feel that the New York Times is still legitimate, but I agree that being a bestseller in non-fiction/Autumn moose hunting/hardcover, under 200 pages is a dubious award. But according to the bestseller authors, it has helped their sales, which is positive. Maybe, it would mean more with less categories.     

    I spoke to one of the big-shots at B&N, and they refused 600 self-published books for their stores, because of a low standard of quality, mostly due to poor editing and designing...I found this refreshing, and a wake-up call for authors to hire professional editors and designers.

  • I stopped looking at lists after I got burned a few times. Maybe I'm odd but if "everyone" loves it, I don't. If it's something people just don't get, I get it and usually love it.

    I often hear of books of interest in interview TV or radio (I discovered Jeff Herman's book this way years ago.) I also admit to shopping on amazon and looking at the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section. I haven't been disappointed there either. And yes, I do judge a book by its cover. If I see a really scary or interesting cover with an equally intriguing back in a pile, it's mine:)

    • Sangay, I agree with you, as I still look for my favorite authors, and yes, I do judge a book by it's cover--then read the back matter to see if it interests me. I might even pick-up a bestselling book--but I still read the back cover before I buy. I was told by a PR lady, that what may seem dull and boring to one reader--is stimulating to another. I'd just like to say one more statement regarding bestseller launches; if it is approached in a classy and stylish way, I feel it can stimulate book sales, it can stimulate excitement, it can generate media appearances and it can launch the career of an Author. 

  •  I agree with Joan and many others who have replied before me. I find many of the "best" lists by Oprah, NYT, etc. are not necessarily books I agree deserve the accolades. There are always exceptions, but rarely. Those who I commiserate with over books we have all read or those who I respect as writers are the ones I refer to if I'm in need of a book referral. Most cases involving a study or a list or something like it, I find there are questionable statistics and studies behind it funded by someone who will profit.

  • I don't think I have ever bought a book because it was on a bestseller's list. Usuually books on that list do not appeal to me and are to hyped up. I would rather go one what some of the bloggers I know think of a book. :)

  • Many readers are influenced by the NYT list, which is widely syndicated, and several regional lists. Books that sustain themselves on the lists for more than a couple of weeks are probably there for organic reasons (people keep buying them). No form of advertising or publicity can compete with the automatic exposure and apparent credibility brings to being on these lists. The Amazon list is the easiest to manipulate in the short term, but even that can't be maintained for long without spending more money than it's worth. Jeff

    • As people like Seth Godin, and others, begin to teach readers the extent to which these lists can be gamed and manipulated, I think the lists will lose some of their cachet. It takes on the aura of a rigged election. The NYT still has cachet because most of the public do not know of some of the shady marketing tactics that can be used. It's a matter of readers finally seeing the man behind the curtain. 

      If, however, a book manages to stay on the list, even after having been rigged, chances are it meets some need in readers. But still, to me, if it got there by being rigged, its integrity is compromised, but maybe that's just me because I've got a thing about right livelihood. 

      I prefer to use my own judgment about whether a book is good or not and I don't care what any list says. 

  • Seth Godin appears to be a prophetic voice in the book world, and now he is calling attention to the fact that consumers are catching on that the bestseller lists can frequently be gamed by money and some fairly questionable marketing tactics. So I think Godin is right when he says that bestseller lists do not command the respect they once did. I think Godin is also correct that other kinds of "lists" are being created almost organically, as interested groups of readers begin sharing what they are reading. It will be interesting to see whether Godin can help generate other good alternatives. He is correct that authors need to be more concerned with reaching their most likely readers rather than putting resources into gaming a list. I have an editing client who has more than one million copies of his book in distribution, but is not on any bestseller list. Instead, he has focused on his constituent readers and devised a way to get the book into their hands. He has achieved plenty of sales, but not in the traditional way we usually think of. This client doesn't really give a fig whether he is on any list. He doesn't have to. He reaches his audience. 

    • Sharon, good for your client!

  • I personally don't pay any attention to the best seller lists, like OPrah's, etc.  I find that I don't like many of those books so I often pick my books by recommendations by friends, or reviews on Amazon if I have been led to look one up.  I also review books and I have received some excellent books from authors who are not on those best lists.  I think there is a little politics involved by publishers on these lists. 

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