Check out the top-10 hardcover fiction titles on the PW 2013 fiction bestseller chart; it resembles the decade-old list from 2003. Five of the authors—Dan Brown, John Grisham, Mitch Albom, James Patterson and Nicholas Sparks—are in the top-10 on both charts. And that is where the similarity ends. Sales figures and tenure on the weekly charts vary greatly. In 2003, all but Sparks had sales of more than one million (his was a robust 800,000+). Brown’s numbers for The Da Vinci Code were over five million and Grisham’s The King of Torts and Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven were over two million. Brown was on the 2003 list for 40 weeks and had a respectable 33-week run for Inferno, #1 fiction in 2013, making it the only million-copy-plus player. Grisham’s Torts had a 25-week tenure 10 years ago; Sycamore Row had only a 10-week run 10 years later and is #3 with sales of more than 900,000. It’s a repetitive annual saga, with shorter stays for even veteran bestselling novelists. One could predict that this trend will only intensify in the coming years.
There were 251 new fiction hardcover bestsellers in 2013, a record high, but 181 of the new titles were on the list three weeks or less and 91 made it to the weekly charts just once. The number of titles that had end-of-the year sales of 100,000 copies or more was 89 in 2013, a new low but only slightly less than the previous low of 91 in 2012. There was only one first fiction—The Bone Season from Bloomsbury. All the other titles were by authors who have graced this list in prior years, some like Stephen King, Tom Clancy, and Danielle Steel for more than 25 years.
There were 89 nonfiction bestsellers with 100,000 copies or more, a much welcomed improvement over the record low of 74 in 2012. Categories that helped pump up the numbers were ducks and cookbooks. The Robertson clan authored six books totaling sales of 4,132,765 hardcover copies last year; two of them, Happy, Happy, Happy and Si-Cology 1, were each over the million mark and #2 and #3 on the end of the year chart. The list also has a record 22 titles on cooking and nutrition, making it the largest nonfiction category, amounting to nearly 25% of the 89 total.
While religion and politics are subjects to avoid at the dinner table, they are happy bedfellows on the year-end chart. There are three Jesus books and at least a half-dozen inspirational titles. Washington, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Reagan are the subjects of some of the year’s political top sellers.
Our Annual Disclaimer
As we state each year, all the calculations on the following pages are based on shipped-and-billed figures supplied by publishers for new titles with sales of 100,000 or more in hardcover or paper. All reflect only 2013 domestic retail sales, and while publishers were asked to take into account early returns, it would be safe to assume that not all did. Sales figures on these pages should not be considered final, especially those books published in the latter half of the year. The figures for all books listed with an asterisk (*) were submitted to PW in confidence, for use in placing the title on the list.
PW 2013 Bestsellers
Hardcover Fiction
1 Inferno. Dan Brown. Doubleday (5/14) #1,700,000.
2 Doctor Sleep. Stephen King. Scribner (9/24) 942,435.
3 Sycamore Row. John Grisham. Doubleday (10/22) #920,000.
4 And the Mountains Echoed. Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead (5/21) #780,000.
5 Longest Ride. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (9/13) 766,539.
6 The First Call from Heaven. Mitch Albom. Harper (11/13) 727,135.
7 Takedown Twenty. Janet Evanovich. Bantam (11/19) #600,000.
8 Cross My Heart. James Patterson. Little, Brown (11/13) 544,379.
9 Command Authority. Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney. Putnam (12/13) #500,000.
10 The Cuckoo’s Calling. Robert Galbraith. Little, Brown/Mulholland Books (4/13) 493,009.
11 King and Maxwell. David Baldacci. Grand Central (11/13) 406,322.
12 Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn. Crown (6/12/12) #390,000.
13 A Memory of Light. Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Tor Books (1/8) 386,957.
14 Never Go Back. Lee Child. Delacorte Press (9/3) #350,000.
15 The Goldfinch. Donna Tartt. Little, Brown (10/13) 323,536.
Hardcover Nonfiction
1 Killing Jesus: A History. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. Henry Holt (9/24) #1,500,000.
2 Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander. Phil Anderson. Howard Books (5/7) 1,225,588.
3 Si-Cology1: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle. Si Robertson. Howard Books (9/3) 1,210,036.
4 Things that Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics. Charles Krauthammer. Crown Archetype (10/22) #880,000.
5 Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Sheryl Sandberg. Knopf (3/13) 789,260.
6 David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown (10/13) 775,652.
7 The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family and Ducks Built a Dynasty. Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson. Howard Books (10/9/12) 771,353.
8 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. Ree Drummond. Morrow (10/13) 661,495.
9 I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Malala Yousafzai. Little, Brown (10/13) 501,604.
10 George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution. Brian Kilmeade. Sentinel (11/13) #440,000.
11 Guinness World Records 2014. Guinness World Records (9/10) 438,105**.
12 *Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. (10/2012)Henry Holt #370,000.
13 Orr: My Story. Bobby Orr. Putnam (10/15) 362,000.
14 The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. Doris Kearns Goodwin. Simon & Schuster (11/5) 362,302.
15 Break Out! 5 Keys to Go Beyond the Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life. Joel Osteen FaithWords (10/1) 347,370.
Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers, 2013
1,000,000+
1. *Inferno. Dan Brown. Doubleday
900,000+
2. Doctor Sleep. Stephen King. Scribner (942,435)
3. *Sycamore Row. John Grisham. Doubleday
700,000+
4. *And the Mountains Echoed. Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
5. Longest Ride. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (766,539)
6. The First Call from Heaven. Mitch Albom. Harper (727,135)
500,000+
7. *Takedown Twenty. Janet Evanovich. Bantam
8. Cross My Heart. James Patterson. Little, Brown (544,379)
9. *Command Authority. Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney. Putnam
300,000+
10. The Cuckoo’s Calling. Robert Galbraith. Little, Brown/Mulholland Books (493,009)
11. King and Maxwell. David Baldacci. Grand Central 406,322
12. *Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn. Crown
13. A Memory of Light. Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Tor Books (386,957)
14. *Never Go Back. Lee Child. Delacorte Press
15. The Goldfinch. Donna Tartt. Little, Brown (323,536)
16. *Dust. Patricia Cornwell. Putnam
17. The Gods of Guilt. Michael Connelly. Little, Brown (317,877)
18. 12th of Never. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown (310,627)
19. *Winners. Danielle Steel. Delacorte Press
200,000+
20. *W Is for Wasted. Sue Grafton. Putnam/ Marian Wood
21. Alex Cross, Run. James Patterson. Little, Brown (291,734)
22. Gone. James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown (288,377)
23. Hit. David Baldacci. Grand Central (281,026)
24. The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Neil Gaiman. Morrow (260,791)
25. *Whiskey Beach. Nora Roberts. Putnam
26. Second Honeymoon. James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown (252,538)
27. *Innocence. Dean Koontz. Bantam
29. *Dead Ever After. Charlaine Harris. Ace
30. The Storyteller. Jodi Picoult. Atria/ Emily Bestler Books (244,005)
Mistress. James Patterson and David Ellis. Little, Brown (241,040)
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars. Ian Doescher. Quirk Books (237,293)
*Mirage. Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul. Putnam
*The Signature of All Things. Elizabeth Gilbert. Viking
We Are Water. Wally Lamb. Harper (221,415)
*First Sight. Danielle Steel. Delacorte Press
*The Heist. Janet Evanovich. Bantam
The Valley of Amazement. Amy Tan. Ecco (193,633)
180,000+
*Storm Front. John Sandford. Putnam
*Until the End of Time. Danielle Steel. Delacorte Press
Private Berlin. James Patterson and Mark Sullivan. Little, Brown (181,261)
A Week in Winter. Maeve Binchy. Knopf (180,696)
170,000+
The English Girl. Daniel Silva. Harper Mass Market (178,682)
Identical. Scott Turow. Grand Central (174,083)
*Silken Prey. John Sandford. Putnam
*Thankless in Death. J.D. Robb. Putnam
*Six Years. Harlan Coben. Dutton
150,000+
*Starry Night. Debbie Macomber. Ballantine
The Blood Gospel. James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell. Morrow (167,139)
Bad Monkey. Carl Hiaasen. Knopf (167,116)
*The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion. Fannie Flagg. Random House
Daddy’s Gone A Hunting. Mary Higgins Clark. S&S Joint Venture (165,415)
*A Dance with Dragons. George R.R. Martin. Bantam
The Silver Star. Jeannette Walls. Scribner (163,478)
*After Dead. Charlaine Harris. Ace
The Quest. Nelson DeMille. Center Street (156,998)
140,000+
Fifteen Minutes. Karen Kingsbury. Howard Books (148,233)
*The Mayan Secrets. Clive Cussler and Thomas Perry. Putnam
The Bone Season: A Novel. Samantha Shannon. Bloomsbury (146,621)
*Calculated in Death. J.D. Robb. Putnam
*Tenth of December. George Saunders. Random House
*The Husband’s Secret. Liane Moriarty. Amy Einhorn/Putnam
125,000+
*Zero Hour. Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. Putnam
Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns. Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster (137,884)
Chance. Karen Kingsbury. Howard Books (133,264)
S. J.J. Abrams. Little, Brown/Mulholland Books (132,625)
White Fire. Douglas Preston. Grand Central (131,129)
Life After Life. Kate Atkinson. Little, Brown/Reagan Arthur (130,624)
Hidden Order. Brad Thor. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (130,291)
Deadline. Sandra Brown. Grand Central
*Just One Evil Act. Elizabeth George. Dutton
*The Striker. Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. Putnam
*Deeply Odd. Dean Koontz. Bantam
100,000+
Accused. Lisa Scottoline. St. Martin’s (120,033)
The Lowland. Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf (118,324)
*The Final Cut. Catherine Coulter. Putnam
A Story of God and All of Us. Roma Downey. FaithWords (113,768)
*Starting Now. Debbie Macomber. Ballantine
*Bombshell. Catherine Coulter. Putnam
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross. James Patterson. Little, Brown (112,395)
*Lover at Last. J.R. Ward. NAL
*Touch & Go. Lisa Gardner. Dutton
How the Lights Get In. Louise Penny. Minotaur Books (102,428)
*Affliction. Laurell K. Hamilton. Berkley
*Hotshot. Julie Garwood. Dutton
Fly Away. Kristin Hannah. St. Martin’s (101,449)
*The Burgess Boys. Elizabeth Strout. Random House
The Blood Gospel. James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell. Morrow (100,101)
The Last Original Wife. Dorothea Benton Frank. Morrow (100,025)
Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers, 2013
1,000,000+
1. *Killing Jesus: A History. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. Henry Holt
2. Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander. Phil Anderson. Howard Books 1,225,588
3. Si-Cology1: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle. Si Robertson. Howard Books 1,210,036
750,000+
4. *Things that Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics. Charles Krauthammer. Crown Archetype
5. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Sheryl Sandberg. Knopf 789,260
6. David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown 775,652
7. The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family and Ducks Built a Dynasty. Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson. Howard Books 771,353
500,000+
8. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. Ree Drummond. Morrow (661,495)
9. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Malala Yousafzai. Little, Brown 501,604
400,000+
10. *George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution. Brian Kilmeade. Sentinel
11. Guinness World Records 2014. Guinness World Records 438,105**
300,000+
12. *Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. Henry Holt
13. *Orr: My Story. Bobby Orr. Putnam
14. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. Doris Kearns Goodwin. Simon & Schuster (362,302)
15. Break Out! 5 Keys to Go Beyond the Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life. Joel Osteen FaithWords (347,370)
16. Shred: The Revolutionary Diet. Ian K. Smith, M.D. St. Martin’s (342,067)
17. The Duck Commander Devotional. Alan Robertson. Howard Books 328,961
18. Jesus Today: Experience Hope Through His Presence. Sarah Young. Thomas Nelson (322,184)
19. Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories in the Making of America. Glenn Beck. Threshold (322,076)
20. The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic. Mark R. Levin. Threshold (321,990)
21. The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life. Rick D. Warren, Daniel Amen, M.D., Mark Hyman, M.D. Zondervan (321,949)
22. Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. David Sedaris. Little, Brown (313,884)
225,000+
23. Life Code: The New Rules for Winning in the Real World. Phil McGraw, M.D. Bird Street Books (299,242
24. *Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. Reza Aslan. Random House
25. My Story. Elizabeth Smart. St. Martin’s Press (286,443)
26. Humans of New York. Brandon Stanton. St. Martin’s Press (269,845)
27. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier. Ree Drummond. Morrow (268,532)
28. It’s All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes that Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great. Gwyneth Paltrow. Grand Central (252,781)
29. *Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. Henry Holt
30. Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health. William Davis, MD. Rodale Books (247,095)
The Reason for My Hope: Salvation. Billy Graham. Thomas Nelson/W Publishing/ (247,102)
Hero (The Secret). Rhonda Byrne. Atria (232,015)
200,000+
*Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Laura Hillenbrand, Random House
Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain’s Silent Killers. David Perlmutter, M.D. Little, Brown (221,429)
The Duck Commander Devotional, Pink Leather Edition. Alan Robertson. Howard Books (214,583)
*Giada’s Feel Good Food: My Healthy Recipe and Secrets. Giada De Laurentis. Clarkson Potter
*Still Foolin’ Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going and Where the Hell Are My Keys. Billy Crystal. Henry Holt
Good Tidings and Great Joy. Sarah Palin. Broadside Books (209,591)
*Let Me Off at the Top!: My Classy Life and Other Musings. Ron Burgundy. Crown Archetype
Super Shred: The Big Results Diet. Ian K. Smith, M.D. St. Martin’s Press (203,689)
170,000+
*Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Brene Brown. Gotham
There’s More to Life Than This: Healing Messages, Remarkable Stories, and Insight about the Other Side. Theresa Caputo. Atria (191,809)
My Beloved World. Sonia Sotomayor. Knopf (191,274)
*No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden. Mark Owen. Dutton
*Double Down: Game Change 2012. Mark Helperin. Penguin Press
*The Fast Metabolism Diet. Haylie Pomroy. Harmony
150,000+
You’ll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times. Max Lucado. Thomas Nelson (174,004)
*Keep It Pithy: Useful Observations in a Tough World. Bill O’Reilly. Crown Archetype
Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944–1945. Rick Atkinson. Henry Holt (171,226)
American Gun: A History of the U.S. in 10 Firearms. Chris Kyle. Morrow (167,139)
*Dad Is Fat. Jim Gaffigan. Crown Archetype
Fastdiet. Michael Mosley. Atria (159,220)
Si-Cology 1 (Kohl’s Edition) Tales of Wisdom from Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle. Si Robertson. Howard Books (150,540)
The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days. JJ Virgin. Harlequin (150,000)
125,000+
One Summer: America, 1927. Bill Bryson. Knopf (146,508)
*The Reason I Jump. Naoki Nigashida. Random House
*The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Daniel Brown. Viking
Jerusalem: A Cookbook. Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tamimi. Ten Speed Press (142,585)
*Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. Michael Pollan. Penguin Press
The Total Money Makeover, Classic Edition. Dave Ramsey. Thomas Nelson/Nelson Books (136,424)
*Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. Phil Jackson. Penguin Press
Johnny Carson. Henry Bushkin. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (134,930)
Duck Commander Collection: Duck Commander Family; Happy, Happy, Happy; and Si-Cology. Willie Robertson, Korie Robertson and Si Robertson. Howard Books (131,347)
Can’t Cook Book: Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified. Jessica Seinfeld. Atria (128,242)
The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert: Take a Whiff of That. Richard Betts. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (128,087)
*A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies. Adam Makos. Berkley
The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas. Ann Voskamp. Tyndale Press (125,990)
100,000+
Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits: 14 New Behaviors that Will Energize Your Life. Joyce Meyer. FaithWords (123,707)
The 100: Count Only Sugar Calories and Lose Up to 18 Lbs. in 2 Weeks. Jorge Cruise. William Morrow (121,419)
The Healthy Green Drink Diet: Advice and Recipes to Energize, Alkalize, Lose Weight, and Feel Great. James Manheim. Skyhorse (121,000)
God Is Not Mad at You: You Can Experience Real Love, Acceptance & Guilt-Free Living. Joyce Meyer. FaithWords (120,142)
Trusting God Day By Day: 365 Daily Devotionals. Joyce Meyer. FaithWords (119,785)
*Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living. Nick Offerman. Dutton
*Jim Cramer’s Get Rich Carefully. James J. Cramer. Blue Rider Press
*This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral Plus, Plenty of Valet parking!-in America’s Gilded Capital. Mark Leibovich. Blue Rider Press
Unfinished: Filling the Hole in Our Gospel. Richard Stearns. Thomas Nelson (114,578)
The Four Doors: A Guide to Joy, Freedom, and a Meaningful Life. Richard Paul Evans. Simon & Schuster (114,387)
*Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair. Anne Lamott. Riverhead
The Dogs of Christmas. W. Bruce Cameron. Forge Books (113,345)
The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son. Pat Conroy. Doubleday (112,183)
The Purpose Driven Life. Rick Warren. Zondervan (111,126)
*Salt Sugar Fat. Michael Moss. Random House
The End of Diabetes. Joel Fuhrman. HarperOne (107,869)
Waiting to be Heard. Amanda Knox. Harper (106,878)
*Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror. Erik Prince. Portfolio
The Tip and The Gipper: When Politics Worked. Chris Matthews. Simon & Schuster (102,270)
Eat to Live Cookbook. Joel Fuhrman. HarperOne (101,094)
Happy, Happy, Happy (Kohl’s Edition): My Life and Legacy. Phil Robertson. Howard Books (100,357)
Francona: The Red Sox Years. Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (100,315)
