Based on figures provided to PW by publishers, a number of familiar names topped e-book bestseller lists over the holidays as consumers hit the Web downloading current bestsellers for their new e-readers. While frontlist titles by expected names—Jodi Picoult, Janet Evanovich, Stieg Larsson—dominated, some readers also opted for weightier material like Siddhartha Mukherjee's "biography" of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies. Some backlist books, by such authors as Garth Stein and Tim O'Brien, also found their way onto new devices. The rush on e-books also caused heavy jumps from 2009's sales figures. Simon & Schuster reported a 150% jump in e-book sales for this holiday over the same period last year. Random House reported an impressive 300% leap, and Kensington said its e-book sales for this holiday season climbed a whopping 400% over 2009. Here is a compilation of publishers' top five bestselling e-books (in descending order) for December 25 and 26.
St. Martin's Press
• Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
• Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
• Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen
• Evermore by Alyson Noël
• First Patient by Michael Palmer
Kensington
• His Conquest by Diana Cosby
• Devoured by Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
• Santa In Montana by Janet Dailey
• Holiday Magic by Fern Michaels,Cathy Lamb, Mary Carter, and Terri DuLong
• Highland Protector by Hannah Howell
Hachette Book Group
• Cross Fire by James Patterson
• Room by Emma Donoghue
• Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
• Hell's Corner by David Baldacci
• Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff
Penguin Group USA
• Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy
• Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
• Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts
Simon & Schuster*
• Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
• American Assassin by Vince Flynn
• House Rules by Jodi Picoult
• The Athena Project by Brad Thor
• The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
(*This list reflects sales from Christmas Eve through New Year's day.)
Random House*
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• The Confession by John Grisham
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
• Decision Points by George Bush
• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
(*This list reflect sales through the week of Christmas.)
Perseus Books Group*
• 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson
• Watchlist: A Serial Thriller by Jeffery Deaver
• Velocity by Alan Jacobson
• William and Harry: Behind the
Palace Walls by Katie Nichol
• Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder
(*This list reflects sales from
December 1 through December 26.)
HarperCollins
• Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
• Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
• Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• As Always, Julia, edited by Joan Reardon
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
• The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
• The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago
• Nemesis by Philip Roth
