Midnight Editors demystify the most abused brag in publishing
You still see it on every jacket flap: “best-selling author.” Yet in 2025 that phrase can refer to radically different achievements—from topping The New York Times list to hitting #1 in Amazon’s “Werewolf Romance—Short Reads—30 Minutes” sub-category. Here’s how the badge is actually earned—and why its value depends on the scoreboard you choose.
-
The New York Times Lists—Prestige and Politics
The Gray Lady still publishes separate combined-print/ebook, hardcover, paperback, YA, and audio charts. Slots are awarded from a proprietary sample of U.S. retailers, updated weekly, and remain the quickest way to impress producers, foreign publishers, and Hollywood scouts. The catch? The window is seven days; sustained sales over months don’t count, and bulk or “agency” buys can still nudge a title onto lower rungs if nobody notices.
-
Circana Book Scan—The Industry’s Scorekeeper
Editors and agents now rely on Circana (formerly NPD) for the undiluted numbers. BookScan tracks roughly 85 percent of all U.S. print sales through point-of-sale data, posting weekly Top 10s and year-to-dates. Circana Their 2025 mid-year list shows Mel Robbins, Suzanne Collins, and Rebecca Yarros leading the pack. Circana If someone claims they were “2025’s best seller,” ask, “According to BookScan?”—that’s where the receipts live.
-
Amazon’s Hourly Leaderboards—Ubiquitous but Elastic
Because Amazon refreshes ranks at least once a day (often hourly), a well-timed promotional spike can crown you a #1 “best seller” in dozens of micro-categories. Amazon itself acknowledges that ranks are relative and heavily weighted toward recent activity. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing One TikTok push or email blast can deliver the screenshot—hence the glut of “international best-selling authors” whose lifetime sales barely break four figures. Readers are savvier now; many look for Top 100 store-wide placement, not niche sub-lists, before they’re impressed.
-
TikTok and BookTok Badges—The Hype Machine
Circana estimates that one in every 12 print books sold in 2024 was driven by BookTok chatter. Jane FriedmanTikTok introduced in-app Shop bestseller tags in late 2024, so today a book can flash “#1 BookTok Bestseller” without ever cracking traditional charts. For romance and YA fantasy, that social proof often translates into real shelf space at Barnes & Noble—stores now build tables directly from TikTok data.
-
Audiobook Charts—Spotify Joins the Game
Since Spotify began bundling 30 audiobook hours into Premium subscriptions, its weekly “Top Global Audiobooks” playlist can spike a title’s overall revenue—even if print is flat. Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses topped the 2024 list and still anchors 2025’s chart. Spotify An author who dominates Spotify may call themselves a best seller with zero presence on NYT.
So…What Should “Best Seller” Mean to You?
- Pitching film rights? Agents still quote NYT or BookScan.
- Selling indie ebooks? A paid-store-wide Amazon rank—or demonstrable Kindle Unlimited page-reads—speaks louder than a micro-category ribbon.
- Building a TikTok-first brand? That gold “Bestseller” label inside the Shop carousel is the ticket to viral loops and foreign-language sub rights.
- Audio-centric series? Landing on Spotify’s or Audible’s global chart is the new brag worth putting on your banner.
Bottom line: “best seller” is a headline, not a universal metric. Always ask whose list, which format, what time frame? Then decide whether that particular crown moves the needle for your goals.
Need help turning rank into longevity—or translating TikTok buzz into BookScan muscle? Midnight Editors has guided authors through every chart that matters. Grab a free 1,000-word sample edit, and let’s aim for the list that pays you back.
