The New York Times sent out a notice today that the graphic books best seller list will be returning to the newspaper.
Today The New York Times Book Review announced changes to the Best-Seller Lists, in print and online. The Best Sellers team will begin tracking Mass Market Paperbacks (genres including romance) and a combined list for Graphic Books (fiction, nonfiction, children’s, adults, and manga).
Previously tracked by the Best Sellers franchise until 2017, these lists are returning due to continued reader interest and market strength. These monthly lists will begin publishing on October 2 (online) and October 20 (in print).
“We are thrilled to bring back to our readers graphic books and mass market best sellers as two monthly best-seller lists,” said Pamela Paul, editor of the Book Review. “Our new monthly graphic books list combines the format as it exists across all platforms [emphasis added]— hardcover, paperback and digital — in order to represent the range of ways in which publishers create and people of all ages read these books.”
So, unlike the earlier lists, all forms of books featuring comics will be combined on the one list.
A couple other lists, featuring growing genres, will also be added:
In addition, there will be two new monthly children’s lists: Middle Grade Paperback and Young Adult Paperback.
So I’m left with the question – on what lists will Raina dominate be listed?
above: the last New York Times Graphic Books Best Sellers list from almost three years ago.
Since discontinuing the comics specific lists, several graphic novels made the ACTUAL REAL NY Time bestseller list, including the smash hit Adventure Zone and George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy. It’s likely that seeing that “graphic books” had such impact on the “real charts” – and the continued prominence and importance of the category – helped the Times to change their minds.