Is It Worth It to Become a New York Times Best Seller?

July 5, 2023

By Joe Yamulla -

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

When you walk into a bookstore, your first instinct likely is to check out the New York Times Best Sellers. Readers have an innate interest in the prestige of a best-seller list, even if they don’t fully understand the requirements of getting on it.

If you write a book, you may dream of having it featured alongside iconic authors like Stephen King and James Patterson, or getting noticed by the Wall Street Journal. But what does it really mean, and how do you become a New York Times bestseller?

Table of Contents:
• How do you become a New York Times bestseller?
• New York Times bestseller criteria
• Implication of sales criteria
• Can self-published authors make the list?
• Diversification of sales
• Editorial bias
• Fast data
• Why is every book called a bestseller these days?
• Goals you should have as a self-published author

Earning a spot on any New York Times list can be a career-changer for authors. Best-selling authors gain exposure to a larger pool of readers and are well-positioned to land deals with publishing houses and movie studios.

On a human level, the notoriety from such a significant accomplishment is something to celebrate. But is landing a spot on a prestigious list the end-all-be-all for authors? Maybe not. In fact, it’s a complicated process that is far more involved than earning book sales.

How do you become a New York Times bestseller?

Have you ever thought about how featured books earned their spots? I’ll give you a spoiler: it’s more complicated than just earning sales, and it’s worth noting that the rules evolve and change over time.

New York Times bestseller criteria

Here are the requirements for how to become a New York Times Best Seller at the time of this post’s publication.

An author must earn 5,000 sales or more in a single week.
The sales must come from diverse retailers and booksellers from multiple geographic locations.
Editorial decisions make the final call on list placement — it is not strictly sales data.
New York Times Best Seller lists are grouped by genre and format.

Implication of sales criteria

This is where things get a bit complicated. Beyond sales figures and sales numbers, books are reviewed like applications at a prestigious university, and this process has led to criticism over the years. At the end of the day, the best-seller list is not free from impartiality.

No matter what sales data are presented, there is an established list of editors that makes the final call on what gets to be included. Because earning a spot on the Times’ list is such a game-changer for an author’s career, you can imagine how subjectivity can become problematic and frustrating.

Keep in mind that the best-selling books in the world are not inherently New York Times Best Sellers. A new book can burst onto the scene and sell over 10,000 copies in a week with bulk purchases. But if those sales are primarily made through a singular retailer, the book may be left off the list. Sales are supposed to be blended throughout many retailers and areas. In many cases, an author with a massive following will not make the list if their sales don’t diversify from their established audience.

If a book meets the criteria and is selected by the editors to be on the best-selling list, there is a lot more to celebrate than the accolade. There is a circular sales cycle that occurs with the books that are lucky enough to be included on the list. Readers are enticed by a book that is selling well and presume it to be popular and interesting, so they purchase it.

This cycle continues over and over — and it’s why some books remain locked in the list for months or even years. For example, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid has been on the best-selling list for over a year and a half.

Can self-published authors make the list?

Historically, the New York Times Best Sellers list consists of traditionally published books. However, self-published books are not banned by any concrete rule. Instead, the nature of self-publishing makes it a significant challenge to check all the criteria boxes. Here are three reasons why.

1. Diversification of sales

For the most part, independent authors earn revenue by driving traffic to specific outlets and retailers. When a book is self-published, it does not automatically get stocked on the shelves of every American bookstore. Independent authors who have access to global distribution (like BookBaby authors) can achieve sales from diverse retailers. However, that is not always the most profitable option for them.

Most independent authors are selling books directly to readers and cutting out the middleman to earn more profit. BookBaby authors do this by selling on BookBaby Bookshop, where they earn the highest royalty rates in the industry (50 percent on print, 75 percent on audiobook, 85 percent on eBook).

Keep in mind, the New York Times features a indie bestseller list for eBooks that reports sales data from Amazon chart, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Google. This is the most feasible path for indie authors to earn a spot. All BookBaby authors can have their eBooks distributed and available on these platforms.

2. Editorial bias

Times are changing and the self-publishing revolution is in full effect. However, this does not mean that antiquated beliefs and biases are extinct. There is a precedent for the New York Times to only select traditionally published books and it will take time to reverse that embedded standard.

3. Fast data

In the grand scheme of a book’s life cycle, 5,000 book sales is not an overwhelming task. However, that is a significant number to achieve in one week. Self-published authors build their brands through consistent promotion and marketing initiatives that set them up for long-term success. In other words, self-published authors are running a marathon, and selling 5,000 copies in seven days would be quite the energy-draining sprint.

Why is every book called a bestseller these days?

I bet you’ve lost track of how many times you’ve come across a book that says, a “New York Times bestseller!” If it’s such a tall task for a book to be selected for the list, why does it seem like every book is called a bestseller? It comes down to two factors.

First, there’s not just one NYT list. The New York Times bestsellers consist of a multitude of best-seller lists including genres like fiction, nonfiction, hardcover fiction and nonfiction, paperback fiction and nonfiction, young adult, advice, children’s, food and fitness, humor, education, sports, business, science, politics, and more. If an author is selected to be on any of these lists — even if it is just for a week — they have a lifelong selling point. As most of these lists are updated weekly, there are plenty of opportunities for new books to land a spot.

Second, remember that the New York Times is not the only bestseller list in existence! There is USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon, and more. Landing on any of these best-seller lists is an honor that authors would be foolish to keep secret.

Goals you should have as a self-published author

Earning a spot on a best-seller list (particularly the New York Times) is a big-time achievement. And although it seems like bookshelves are loaded with bestsellers, that is not the reality.

Your goal should be to tell a story that you believe in and deliver it to an audience that is excited to support you. By remaining independent, you are in a wonderful position to have full creative and legal control. If you do enough research on the New York Times Best Seller selection process, you’ll find that there are certain types of books that get selected every week. There is no reason for you to mold your story in a way that reflects what others want. Remain true to what is important to you and your audience.

In other words, your goal should be to remain authentic. There is a unique path to profitability when you self-publish, and it requires you to believe in your story and know your audience. Don’t focus on editor committees and the gatekeepers of traditional publishing. Focus on your story and the audience who believes in it.

If you do that, success will come. Seeking a spot on a national best-seller list without a core audience and authentic author brand is like trying to build a house without a foundation. One day, maybe you will be on the NYT Bestseller list. But quantifying your success based on a rather specific and subjective selection process is setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, keep your goals focused on authenticity and delivering meaningful content to your core audience.