Where to buy the book...

From GBB@theCH
Okay, we had a chance to talk to LPB this evening who provided some more information about the importance of making the NYT list, and some very interesting numbers showing just how few sales can make a difference in whether a book makes the list or not.

The importance of making the NYT list is immeasurable when it comes to exposure and prestige. We've all walked into bookstores and seen the big row of "New York Times Bestsellers" front and center. LPB notes, "Apart from prestige and store placement, many bookstores use the NYT list to decide what to discount, so books that hit the list usually get better, more visible placement in the stores as well as deeper discounts for the consumer."

Those discounts will often lead to even more sales, maybe extending its stay on the list -- as well as help out those in Clay Nation who plan to buy extra books as gifts!

So can a few early sales really make a difference in whether or not a book makes the New York Times list or not? Consider this week as an example. The difference in a book being #15 (and on the NYT Bestseller List) and #16 was only 240 books.

Some other numbers of note this week. The difference between the #1 and the #2 book on the NYT list was huge. #1 (Jon Stewart's America, still going strong with 6 weeks on the list) sold 70,000 books. #2 sold only 14,000 books. This could bode well for Clay's chances on the list, but Stewart's book sales are showing no sign of slowing, and LPB says that there are a number of expected big sellers from all houses around the time of Clay's release. That's going to make for a very crowded playing field.

Yet more numbers wonkiness: NYT and Bookscan tally their numbers differently.That is, not all stores that report to Bookscan report to NYT and vice versa. Looking at this week's Bookscan numbers vs. the NYT list shows an interesting development: According to Bookscan, the #11 NYT bestseller sold 3,439 books while the #15 and #16 books sole 4,198 and 3,958 respectively, both higher than the book NYT places at #11. Obviously, it's very important to purchase from stores who report to BOTH Bookscan and NYT.

These stores report to both NYT and Bookscan:

Brick-and Mortar
Waldenbooks
Barnes and Noble
Borders
B. Dalton
Books-a-million

Online
Amazon.com
BN.com
Borders.com
booksamillion.com
(Waldenbooks and Borders sell online via Amazon.com)

These stores all report to Bookscan but do not report to NYT
Buy.com
Costco
Fatbrain.com
K-Mart
Powells.com
Target