Fact or Opinion? On Bestseller Lists

why on earth do so many books release on tuesdays? i love this discussion.

Some say it is due to tradition. Books have always released on Tuesdays! Others add in the distribution factor - consolidating all the new releases on one day reduces cost and makes distribution easier. And the retailers, of course. They benefit because they can receive the stock on Friday and have Monday to prepare everything.

Those are all true, but I think the main reason is because of sales reporting and bestseller lists. Releasing on Tuesday allows for new releases to gain as much traction as possible as the lists are compiled on Tuesdays. And because sales for the week are reported on Mondays.

So, how are the bestseller lists compiled and why do they matter?