Last year's film treatment of Solomon Northup's 1853 memoir, Twelve Years a Slave, brought a 161-year old book into the contemporary cultural conversation, and led to a boost in sales for multiple editions of the title.
The best selling edition, according to the outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan was, unsurprisingly, the movie-tie-in paperback from Penguin Classics, which features a foreword from Steve McQueen, the film's director. The edition has sold over 66,000 copies since its September 2013 release, gaining momentum as the October premiere approached.
The book sold roughly 3,000 to 5,000 copies a week during the holiday season, dropping off in the new year. For the week ended January 12, the book sold 1,497 copies. For the week ended January 19, three days after the Oscar nomination announcements, sales more than doubled, selling 3,313 copies. Sales have climbed steadily in the lead up to the Academy Awards on Sunday -- reaching back to holiday highs for the week ended February 23, selling over 4,500 copies. The book also landed on PW's trade paperback bestseller list last week, jumping from #22 to #18.
