Yesterday on Twitter, literary agent Charlie Olsen shared that the New York Times Bestsellers List has announced major changes to their categories, including the removal of the Graphic Novel Best Sellers List
https://twitter.com/ComicsisPeople/status/824394782843793408
https://twitter.com/ComicsisPeople/status/824398640152186880
Olsen sent us the New York Times announcement, which you can read in its entirety below:
Dear Best Sellers Client,
We hope you have been enjoying your subscription to The New York Times advance Best Sellers List.
Beginning with the advance BSL edition that will be delivered today for February 5, 2017 there will be revisions to multiple categories in the publication.
These changes will span weekly and monthly lists. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 212-556-1200 or email us at timesdigest@nytimes.com.
Sincerely,
TimesDigest Customer Service
Other changes were made to the lists, essentially cutting out paperback titles and combining the ebooks list with print books. When the number listed above was called to request a comment, the woman on the phone answered that the BSL was making changes to “focus on their core books list.”
We are currently reaching out to the BSL department for further information and will update this article accordingly.
UPDATE 11:40 AM EST: The NYT has responded, saying that the change in the Graphic Novel Best Sellers List was due to “devote more space to coverage beyond the bestsellers list.” Below is the full response:
Beginning February 5, The New York Times will eliminate a number of
print but mostly online-only bestseller lists. In recent years, we
introduced a number of new lists as an experiment, many of which are
being discontinued.We will continue to cover all genres of books in our news
coverage (in print and online). The change allows us to devote more
space and resources to our coverage beyond the bestseller lists.Our major lists will remain, including: Top 15 Hardcover Fiction, Top
15 Hardcover Nonfiction, Top 15 Combined Print and E Fiction, Top 15
Combined Print and E Nonfiction, Top 10 Children’s Hardcover Picture
Books, Top 10 Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover Chapter Books, Top 10
Children’s Young Adult Hardcover Chapter Books and Top 10 Children’s
Series. Several more including Paperback Trade Fiction, Paperback
Nonfiction, Business, Sports, Science and Advice Miscellaneous will
remain online.Readers will be notified that individual lists will no longer be
compiled and updated by The New York Times on the relevant article
pages.
UPDATE 4:00 PM EST: Pamela Paul, the NYT Book Review editor, has tweeted the following about the Graphic Novel Best Sellers List:
Quick note to fellow comics/graphic novel fans: The Times is not cutting back on coverage of these genres/formats but rather…. 1/2
— Pamela Paul (@PamelaPaulNYT) January 26, 2017
…expanding on coverage in ways that reach more readers than the lists did. To wit: new graphic reviews by comic artists, more reviews 2/3
— Pamela Paul (@PamelaPaulNYT) January 26, 2017
…and more news and features about then genre and it's creators. We are big fans, and want to recognize growing readership. Stay tuned. 3/3
— Pamela Paul (@PamelaPaulNYT) January 26, 2017