How many books do you have to sell to be a NY Times Bestseller?
I always wondered what constituted a NY Times Bestseller. I’ll admit, I use this categorization when selecting what books to read. After doing some digging and speaking to my former writing workshop instructor, I found it fascinating to learn that there’s no fixed number of sales required, as it depends on competition and timing. I’ve heard of people trying to ‘rig’ the system by asking their entire network to purchase at the same time on Amazon to jumpstart the algorithm. However, here are rough estimates:
Fiction/Non-fiction Hardcover: 5,000–10,000 copies in one week.
YA and Children’s Books: 3,000–7,000 copies in one week.
EBooks: 10,000–20,000 copies in one week (due to lower prices and higher competition).
Sales must occur within a single reporting week (Sunday to Saturday). Concentrated sales in high-profile bookstores or retail chains are more likely to count toward the NYT rankings.
Other factors include;
Bulk Sales: Large bulk purchases (e.g., companies buying books for events) may not be fully counted unless distributed to individual readers.
Timing: The list is competitive, so releasing during a quieter period (e.g., avoiding the holiday rush or major celebrity releases) can increase chances.
Marketing: A strong pre-order campaign (which counts as first-week sales) and effective marketing can be crucial.
Challenges include;
The NYT list is not purely sales-based; editorial decisions also play a role. Some high-selling books may not make the list due to the NYT’s criteria.
If the NYT list feels unattainable, consider targeting other bestseller lists like USA Today, Publishers Weekly, or Amazon, which rely more directly on sales data.
Remember, although a huge accomplishment and honor to be on any of these lists above, getting your book out into the world and sharing your story is an even bigger accomplishment. Self-published authors sell on average 200-500 copies in a lifetime. First-time authors that publish through an indie publisher sell on average 500-2,000. It’s all relative. Don’t let numbers intimidate you or keep you from sharing your story.
