Laura McGrath

Laura McGrath appears in How to make a BOOK into a bestseller as a Temple University professor who teaches the history of the bestseller and explains why the New York Times bestseller list carries special weight for publishers, readers, and writers.

Her role is to turn the list from a prestige label into an economic institution. She explains Bestseller List Opacity, historical attempts to game the list, the role of pre-orders, and why Bulk Book Buying and Book Laundering matter especially in nonfiction.

Key Claims

• The New York Times list is treated as more important than other bestseller lists by many publishers, readers, and writers.
• Bestseller placement can generate new demand through store placement, online visibility, advertising language, and status.
• People have tried to influence the list for as long as the list has existed.
• Secrecy about reporting stores and weighting makes gaming harder but also creates a strategy problem for authors and publishers.
• Nonfiction authors can have strong incentives to seek bestseller status because it can raise speaking and consulting value.

Connections

• New York Times Bestseller List, Bestseller List Opacity, Bestseller Status Feedback Loop, and Bestseller Speaker Economy - concepts she helps explain.
• Gene Shepard, Jacqueline Susann, and William Peter Blatty - historical cases discussed through her commentary.
• Temple University - academic affiliation in the source.
• Planet Money, NPR, and Planet Money Book - source and book-launch context.