USA Today’s Bestselling Book List Returns, Reinforcing Its Role As Comprehensive Market Measure

(CTN NEWS) – USA Today’s popular weekly list of bestselling books, which had been on hiatus since December, made a triumphant return on Wednesday.

“We are absolutely thrilled because this content is incredibly important to our expansive audience and provides unique support to the communities we serve,” expressed Kristin Roberts, Gannett Media’s chief content officer, in a statement.

Since the departure of Mary Cadden, the longtime compiler, who was unfortunately among the many individuals laid off late last year, Gannett had not published the list.

However, according to Erik Bursch, senior vice president for product and engineering, the manual process of logging sales figures, previously done by Cadden, has now been automated.

The list will now be managed by the paper’s books editor, Barbara VanDenburgh.

Resurgence of USA Today Rankings: A Comprehensive Measure of the Consumer Book Market

The USA Today rankings have long held great significance in the publishing industry as a comprehensive and data-driven measure of the consumer market.

Established in 1993, this list features the top 150 books and relies on sales analysis from various U.S. booksellers, including independent bookstores, bookstore chains, mass merchandisers, and online retailers.

Unlike other rankings like The New York Times, USA Today combines all book formats, including hardcovers, paperbacks, audio books, and e-books, regardless of genre or release date.

On the latest list released on Wednesday, the top-selling book was “The Five-Star Weekend” by Elin Hilderbrand, a captivating beach read.

It was followed by Bonnie Garmus’ highly acclaimed debut novel, “Lessons in Chemistry,” and Ali Hazelwood’s delightful romantic comedy, “Love, Theoretically.”

The list also featured a diverse range of titles, from perennial favorites like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to Paul McCartney’s photography book “1964,” David Sedaris’ “Happy-Go-Lucky,” and Cormac McCarthy’s acclaimed novel “Blood Meridian,” released just before the author’s recent passing.

In addition to sales rankings, USA Today, in collaboration with the American Booksellers Association (ABA), Bookshop.org, and The Novel Neighbor bookstore in St. Louis, will include feature stories on independent sellers nationwide and recommendations from independent store owners.

This partnership aims to highlight the value of independent bookstores to communities and readers. Allison K. Hill, CEO of the booksellers association, expressed excitement about the partnership and the opportunity to promote independent bookstores in a statement.

The revival of the USA Today list follows recent news that Bookforum, an online literary magazine that ceased operations around the same time as Mary Cadden’s departure, will make a comeback in August in partnership with the liberal weekly publication, The Nation.

Bookforum was shut down by Penske Media Corporation in December, shortly after the acquisition of its sister publication, Artforum.

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