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Hardcovers | E-books | Children's Books
It's the Stieg Larsson show in 2010 paperback bestsellers. The first two books of his enormously successful trilogy racked up sales of more than 10,942,000 in their mass market and paperback editions. That's more than the combined sales of two other stellar sellers—James Patterson and Nora Roberts. Their combined sales total for 15 titles in mass and trade amounted to a bit more than 7,734,200.
As noted every year, the mass market bestsellers are by veterans of these annual charts, with almost no surprises. Nicholas Sparks had three mass market titles, with a combined sale of 2,770,816; Debbie Macomber had four with sales of 2,513,394; Danielle Steel's big three in 2010 had a 2,313,583 sales combination. Janet Evanovich was the only woman in 2010 with a single title that enjoyed sales of more than one million; her two 2010 titles sold 1,855,946 combined. In 2009, she was one of five women with single-title sales of more than one million.
The only two names that were not the usual on the mass market annual list was Harper Lee and J.D. Salinger. Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was celebrated in a 50th anniversary edition and had sales of 804,752; Salinger died in January 2010, and sales for The Catcher in the Rye amounted to 578,141.
Waning Mass Market Sales
In mass market, we asked publishers to report 2010 sales for titles that sold 500,000 copies or more during the 12-month period. This is the same criteria we have used since 2002. In that year, there were 107 books with sales of 500,000 copies or more (compare that to 1990, when 123 mass markets enjoyed sales of one million or more). The number of titles peaked in 2005, when 131 titles went over the 500,000 mark. In 2010, only 58 titles reported sales of at least 500,000. And in 2010, only 13 books exceeded sales of 750,000 copies or more; by contrast, in 2005, 39 titles broke the one-million–copy mark.
The high rollers also saw their unit sales melt away. In 2005, Nora Roberts had nine titles with sales of more than one million and two of them were over two million; her highest sale in 2010 was 785,000. Patterson had two over the million mark in 2005, but his highest in 2010 was 927,681; Dean Koontz had three titles over a million in 2005, but only one got as high as 948,000 copies. Nonfiction was never a major factor in mass market, but these days it is a total no-show. The 2005 list had seven nonfiction titles.
Trade Paper Faltering
Again, back in 2002 we asked publishers to submit trade paperback sales for 100,000 or more copies. Previously, the number was 50,000 unit sales, and PW raised the number because sales picked up in the 100,000-plus category. That year we counted 166 titles with sales of 100,000-plus, twice as many as the 1995 figure of 83 books. In 2005, the 100,000-plus figure soared to 226; in 2010 it dropped to 134. As for the big sellers, there were 12 titles with sales of 500,000 or more in 2010; a year earlier, the number was almost double, at 22.
The trade paperback list, as always, is much more eclectic than its mass market counterpart. And while popular commercial fiction is always strong, this is the list where literary fiction, including prize winners, get to shine. Little Bee, Cutting for Stone, The Finkler Question, The Old Cape Magic all had strong sales. And Oprah's most recent (perhaps last?) book club pick—A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations—racked up sales of more than 480,000. Food and diet were the most popular categories, with 18 top sellers on the 2010 charts. Movie tie-ins helped, and two figured in the one-million–plus category: Eat, Pray, Love and The Last Song. While the reviews for both were generally harsh, that did not seem to have an impact on book sales.
And that is the good news despite a falloff in bestseller sales. This listing is only a drop in the bucket of books published in 2010. Just keep reading.
Mass Market Fiction
2,000,000+
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Stieg Larsson. Vintage (2,429,055)
The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown. Vintage (2,367,052)
The Girl Who Played with Fire. Stieg Larsson. Vintage (2,177,705)
1,000,000+
The Last Song (movie tie-in). Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (1,397,441)
Ford County: Stories. John Grisham. Dell (1,050,000)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen. Janet Evano-vich. St. Martin's (1,045,363)
750,000+
Pirate Latitudes. Michael Crichton. Harper (986,990)
Breathless. Dean Koontz. Bantam (948,000)
I, Alex Cross. James Patterson. Grand Central (927,681)
One Night. Debbie Macomber. Avon (901,618)
Alex Cross's Trial. James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. Rep. Grand Central (889,151)
Live to Tell. Lisa Gardner. Bantam (872,000)
61 Hours. Lee Child. Dell (857,000)
Southern Lights. Danielle Steel. Dell (869,00)
Hero at Large. Janet Evanovich. Harper (809,583)
To Kill a Mockingbird, 50th anniversary edition. Harper Lee. Grand Central (804,752)
Black Hills. Nora Roberts. Jove (785,000)
Blood Games. Iris Johansen. St. Martin's (781,190)
500,000+
One Day at a Time. Danielle Steel. Dell (769,000)
The Doomsday Key. James Rollins. Harper (741,774)
Just Take My Heart. Mary Higgins Clark. Pocket (*715,000)
Dear John (movie tie-in). Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (711,995)
First Family. David Baldacci. Grand Central (713,384)
Run for Your Life. James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Grand Central (672,849)
True Blue. David Baldacci. Grand Central (663,960)
The Lucky One. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (661,380)
Matters of the Heart. Danielle Steel. Dell (635,000)
The Neighbor. Lisa Gardner. Bantam (631,000)
Rainwater. Sandra Brown. Pocket (*625,000)
Eight Days to Live. Iris Johansen. St. Martin's (617,205)
Smash Cut. Sandra Brown. Pocket (*610,000)
Guardian of Lies. Steve Martini. Harper (606,591)
Gone Tomorrow. Lee Child. Dell (600,000)
The Elusive Bride. Stephanie Laurens. Avon (598,543)
The Catcher in the Rye. J.D. Salinger (d. in 2010). Little, Brown (578,141)
The Reckless Bride. Stephanie Laurens. Avon (577,493)
1012 Evergreen Place. Debbie Macomber. Mira (575,091)
Fugitive. Phillip Margolin. Harper (563,735)
The Christmas Sweater. Glenn Beck. Pocket
The Brazen Bride. Stephanie Laurens. Avon (560,571)
The Scarpetta Factor. Patricia Cornwell. Berkley (550,000)
Relentless. Dean Koontz. Bantam (536,000)
U Is for Undertow. Sue Grafton. Berkley (535,000)
Heart and Soul. Maeve Binchy. Vintage (527,940)
Ten Things I Love About You. Julia Quinn. Avon (527,316)
Orchard Valley Grooms. Debbie Macomber. Mira (526,133)
Storm Cycle. Iris Johansen. St. Martin's (516,998)
Summer on Blossom Street. Debbie Macomber. Mira (510,552)
Hot Rocks. Nora Roberts. Jove (510,000)
Fire and Ice. J.A. Jance. Harper (509,788)
McKettricks of Texas: Tate. Linda Lael Miller. HQN (508,507)
Wallflower Christmas. Lisa Kleypas. St. Martin's (505,963)
The 8th Confession. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Grand Central (504,691)
Love in the Afternoon. Lisa Kleypas. St. Martin's (503,254)
Evidence. Jonathan Kellerman. Ballantine (503,000)
Not My Daughter. Barbara Delinsky. Vintage (501,296)
Play Dead. Harlan Coben. Signet (500,000)
Deeper than the Dead. Tami Hoag. Signet (500,000)
Trade Paperbacks
1,000,000+
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Stieg Larsson. Vintage (3,685,909)
The Girl Who Played with Fire. Stieg Larsson. Vintage (2,650,033)
Eat, Pray, Love. Elizabeth Gilbert. Penguin (2,153,835, including movie tie-in edition)
The Last Song. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (1,386,834)
Little Bee. Chris Cleave. Simon & Schuster (*1,045,000)
500,000+
Happy Ever After. Nora Roberts. Berkley (900,000)
Cutting for Stone. Abraham Verghese. Vintage (825,029)
Savor the Moment. Nora Roberts. Berkley (775,000)
Dear John. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (703,226)
A Reliable Wife. Robert Goolrick. Algonquin (658,000)
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. David Platt. Multnomah (526,174)
Hunted. P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. St. Martin's Griffin (511,306)
250,000+
The Host. Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown/Back Bay (492,615)
A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations (Oprah Book Club Pick). Charles Dickens. Penguin (481,002)
House Rules. Jodi Picoult. Washington Square (472,086)
Best Friends Forever. Jennifer Weiner. Washington Square (467,490)
Three Cups of Tea: One's Man Mission to Promote Peace. Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Penguin (450,447)
Look Again. Lisa Scottoline. St. Martin's Griffin (444,769)
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. Chelsea Handler. Gallery (436,967)
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. Michael Lewis (movie tie-in). Norton (408,323)
The 8th Confession. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Grand Central (384,767)
My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands. Chelsea Handler. Bloomsbury (383,829)
Under the Dome. Stephen King. Gallery (*380,000)
Hungry Girl 1-2-3. Lisa Lillien. St. Martin's Griffin (368,064)
Conservative Victory. Sean Hannity. Harper (357,000)
The Lost City of Z. David Grann. Vintage (350,583)
One Day. David Nicholls. Vintage (345,505)
Half Broke Horses. Jeannette Walls. Scribner (*340,000)
The Forgotten Garden. Kate Morton. Washington Square (335, 920)
Rachael Ray's Look + Cook. Rachael Ray. Clarkson Potter (332,433)
The Last Child. John Hart. St. Martin's Minotaur (327,527)
The Lovely Bones. Alice Sebold (movie tie-in). Little, Brown/Back Bay (326,807)
Swimsuit. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Grand Central (322,691)
The Glass Castle. Jeannette Walls. Scribner (320,000)
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Rhoda Janzen. Henry Holt (315,076)
Water for Elephants. Sara Gruen. Algonquin (310,000)
Eat This, Not That 2011. David Zin-czenko with Matt Goulding. Rodale (309,071)
Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. Michael Pollan. Penguin (307,541)
Winter Garden. Kristin Hannah. St. Martin's Griffin (305,670)
Worst Case. James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Grand Central (273,136)
Alex Cross's Trial. James Patterson and Richard Dilallo. Grand Central (271,885)
Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer. Anchor
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures. Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown/Back Bay (267,050)
Cook This, Not That: Easy & Awesome 350 Calorie Meals. David Zin-czenko with Matt Goulding. Rodale (263,184)
True Colors. Kristin Hannah. St. Martin's Griffin (257,840)
Fledgling Handbook 101. P.C. Cast. St. Martin's Griffin (252,283)
Never Let Me Go. Kazuo Ishiguro. Vintage (250,159)
125,000+
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead. Max Brooks. Three Rivers Press (247,122)
Inside of a Dog; What the Dogs See, Smell and Hear. Alexandra Horowitz. Scribner
America's Most Wanted Recipes. Ron Douglas. Atria (243,405)
South of Broad. Pat Conroy. Dial (240,000)
Blink: The Power of Positive Thinking Without Thinking. Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown/Back Bay (237,884)
The Accidental Billionaires (movie tie-in). Ben Mezrich. Anchor
The Lucky One. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (234,776)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial (234,000)
The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead (225,000)
The Castaways. Elin Hilderbrand. Little, Brown/Back Bay (218,614)
Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Greg Mortenson. Penguin (217,922)
More of America's Most Wanted Recipes. Ron Douglas. Atria (217,151)
New Atkins for a New You. Dr. Eric C. Westman. Fireside (213,627)
The White Queen. Philippa Gregory. Touchstone (213,456)
Open by Andre Agassi. Vintage (211,945)
Shanghai Girls. Lisa See. Random House (208,000)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (movie tie-in). Mark Haddon. Vintage (204,169)
Her Fearful Symmetry. Audrey Niffenegger. Scribner (*197,000)
Zeitoun. Dave Eggers. Vintage (195,974)
Olive Kitteridge. Elizabeth Strout. Random House (191,000)
Push (aka Precious). Sapphire. Vintage (187,595)
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Max Brooks. Three Rivers Press (187,052)
Hungry Girl Happy Hour. Lisa Lillien. St. Martin's Griffin (186,377)
That Old Cape Magic. Richard Russo. Vintage (178,158)
Choosing to See: A Journey of Struggle and Hope. Mary Beth Chapman and Ellen Vaughn. Revell (178,015)
Half the Sky. Nicholas D. Kristof. Vintage (175,139)
The Master Your Metabolism Calorie Counter. Jillian Michaels. Three Rivers Press (172,622)
The Lacuna. Barbara Kingsolver. Harper Perennial (171,000)
Now Eat This! Rocco Dispirito. Ballantine (169,000)
Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide. David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. Rodale (162,813)
Duets. Nora Roberts. Silhouette (157,167)
The Finkler Question. Howard Jacobson. Bloomsbury (155,581)
Lit: A Memoir. Mary Karr. Harper Perennial (154,000)
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. Grand Central (153,434)
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. Alexander McCall Smith. Anchor (*150,000)
Vision in White. Nora Roberts. Berkley (145,000)
Awkward Family Photos. Mike Bender and Doug Chernack. Three Rivers Press (143,923)
The Angel's Game. Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Anchor
Brooklyn: A Novel. Colm Tóibín. Scribner
Fix-It and Forget-It: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes. Phyllis Pellman Good. Good Books (139,041)
Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government. Glenn Beck. Threshold Editions
Soft Place to Land. Susan Rebecca White. Touchstone (136,473)
Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook: 600 Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes. Phyllis Pellman Good. Good Books (134,399)
Tuesdays with Morrie. Mitch Albom. Broadway (133,100)
Helmet for My Pillow. Robert Leckie. Bantam (133,000)
Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast. Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Clarkson Potter (131,938)
Secretariat. William Nack. Hyperion (131,580)
The Next 100 Years. George Friedman. Anchor
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Alan Bradley. Bantam (128,000)
The Black Swan. Nissim Nichol Taleb. Random House (127,000)
Midnight Sons, Vol. 3. Debbie Macomber. Mira (125,215)
My Booky Wook. Russell Brand. HarperCollins/It Books (125,000)
100,000+
Commencement. J. Courtney Sullivan. Vintage (124,816)
Ford County: Stories. John Grisham. Bantam (124,000)
Twenties Girl. Sophie Kinsella. Dial (123,000)
Green Zone. Raji Chandrasekaran. Vintage (122,574)
Drink This, Not That! David Zin-czenko and Matt Goulding. Rodale (121,984)
Roses. Leila Meacham. Grand Central (122,570)
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. Bill O'Reilly. Broadway (121,319)
Let Me In. John Ajvide Lindqvist. St. Martin's Griffin (120,024)
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. Nujood Ali. Broadway (119,265)
A Gate at the Stairs. Lorrie Moore. Vintage (119,184)
No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of Hell's Angels. Jay Dobyns and Nils Johnson-Shelton. Broadway (115,147)
Redeeming Love. Francine Rivers. Multnomah (114,542)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. Helen Simonson. Bantam (114,000)
The Murder of King Tut. James Patterson and Martin Dugard. Grand Central (113,503)
The Girl from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship. Jeffrey Zaslow. Gotham (113,078)
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Beth Hoffman. Penguin (112,629)
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street. Michael Lewis. Norton
An Echo in the Bone. Diana Gabaldon. Bantam (111,000)
Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook. Devin Alexander et al. Rodale (109,199)
Bart Simpson Class Clown. Matt Groening. Harper (109,000)
Secrets & Sunsets. Nora Roberts. Silhouette Books (108,488)
A Change in Altitude. Anita Shreve. Little, Brown/Back Bay (108,214)
Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It—Live La Bella Vita and Look Great, Too! Teresa Giudice. Hyperion (107,612)
Knit the Season. Kate Jacobs. Berkley (105,000)
Thursday at Eight. Debbie Macomber. Mira (104,824)
Pygmy. Chuck Palahniuk. Anchor
Charlie St. Cloud. Ben Sherwood. Bantam (104,000)
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2011. Richard N. Bolles. Ten Speed Press (102,374)
The Tourist. Olen Steinhauer. St. Martin's Minotaur (102,109)
The Wedding Girl. Madeleine Wickham. St. Martin's Griffin (101,195)
Summer Dreams. Nora Roberts. Silhouette (101,096)
It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor. Joel Osteen. Free Press
Holidays on Ice. David Sedaris. Little, Brown/Back Bay (100,570)
Hope in a Jar. Beth Harbison. St. Martin's Griffin (100,175)
Home Made Simple. The Experts at Home Made Simple. St. Martin's (100,048)
