USA Today Best-Selling Books
USA Today Best-Selling Books is a list of best-selling books in the United States, published weekly by the newspaper USA Today since 1993. The list includes sales from chain and independent bookstores as well as online retailers, combining this data into a single ranking of the past week's 150 top-selling books.
History
[edit]The USA Today Best-Selling Books list was established on October 28, 1993.[1] The paper has referred to the list as "the longest-running USA TODAY data journalism project."[2] The first week's list included data from roughly 3,000 bookstores, including Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, Crown Books, Borders Books & Music, Books-A-Million, Lauriat's, and a number of independent bookstores.[3] The first book to top the list was the memoir Private Parts by Howard Stern.[4]
The list began including sales figures from Amazon's Kindle Store in July 2009, followed by sales from Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader devices in February 2010.[5] As of 2010, the list included retail data from over 7,000 physical outlets, as well as online sales.[5]
In 2022, USA Today owner Gannett announced layoffs of 3 percent of its workforce. Among those laid off was Mary Cadden, who had spent 17 years as the list's editor.[6][7] Following Cadden's departure, USA Today announced in December 2022 that the list would go on hiatus.[7][8] The list returned in June 2023 under editor Barbara VanDenburgh, arts & entertainment critic for The Arizona Republic, while switching from a manual compilation process to an automated one.[6][9] [10] The list's relaunch also involved additional partnerships with independent bookstores.[10]
Methodology
[edit]As of 2026, the USA Today Best-Selling Books list is published weekly every Wednesday online, and every Thursday in print in the newspaper's Life section. The online list contains the 150 highest-selling book titles in the United States, using sales from the previous Monday through Sunday, while the print list is truncated to the top 50 titles.[2][11]
Unlike other bestseller lists such as The New York Times Best Seller list, the USA Today list does not separate book sales by format (e.g., hardcover, paperback, audiobook, or ebook) or by genre (e.g., fiction or non-fiction). According to USA Today, the list compiles data from "bookstore chains, independent bookstores, mass merchandisers and online retailers," combining both print and electronic sales.[10][11]
Analysis and reception
[edit]In a 2004 analysis of bestseller lists, Marina Krakovsky wrote for The Washington Post that the USA Today list "reflects a more populist vision" by ranking all books together in a single list.[12] Hillel Italie of the Associated Press said in 2022 that the USA Today list "has been highly valued by authors, agents and publishers".[8]
To celebrate the list's 20th anniversary in 2013, USA Today released an analysis of previous book sales data, splitting the past two decades into three eras: physical bookstores (1993–1998); the growth of Amazon and other online booksellers (1999–2008); and the rapid adoption of ebooks (2009–2013). The analysis noted that self-help books, once dominant on the list, had declined in popularity since the 1990s, while fiction—in particular, children's books like Harry Potter and romance novels such as Fifty Shades of Grey—was on the upswing.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ↑ Minzesheimer, Bob; DeBarros, Anthony (October 30, 2013). "What makes a best seller? 3 eras, from self-help to '50 Shades'". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- 1 2 "We are the People's Booklist". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 9, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ↑ "BEST-SELLING BOOKS: Customers, computers create list". USA Today. October 29, 1993. pp. 6A. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ↑ "20 years of books that topped USA TODAY's list". USA Today. October 30, 2013. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- 1 2 "USA TODAY'S Best-Selling Books List Continues to Add Digital Sales Information". PR Newswire. February 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- 1 2 "The USA TODAY Best-Selling Books List is back. Meet the new editor, Barbara VanDenburgh". Editor & Publisher. August 6, 2023. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- 1 2 Adolphus, Emell Derra (December 13, 2022). "'USA Today' Pauses Bestseller List, Lays Off Presiding Editor". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- 1 2 Italie, Hillel (December 12, 2022). "USA Today suspends book bestseller list; Bookforum shutters". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 18, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ↑ Schaub, Michael (June 28, 2023). "'USA Today' Brings Back Bestseller List". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on April 23, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Italie, Hillel (June 28, 2023). "USA Today resumes its bestseller list for books after monthslong hiatus". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 9, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 10, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ↑ Krakovsky, Marina (November 6, 2004). "The Bestseller Lists: Totting up book sales is not as simple as one, two, three". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ↑ Minzesheimer, Bob; DeBarros, Anthony (October 30, 2013). "What 20 years of best sellers say about what we read". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ↑ Haq, Husna (November 1, 2013). "What books sell best? Self-help, kid lit, and erotica". Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on May 24, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.