More Protests Against 'NYT' Bestseller Cuts

Author groups representing 20,000 writers have issued a joint statement chastising the New York Times for eliminating several of its bestseller lists, particularly the mass market paperback list and certain e-book lists.

The statement reads:

"As organizations representing adult fiction authors, the undersigned believe the New York Times is making a tremendous mistake by abandoning its mass-market paperback and e-book bestseller lists. With this change, the Times is choosing to ignore a significant percentage of US book sales. Further, mass-market paperback and e-book formats provide an entry point into publishing for new voices of every kind: women writers, writers of color and ethnic minorities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writers, young writers, and writers who are creating new genres. This decision serves no purpose in fostering a thriving, inclusive fiction market or strengthening the state of publishing. Additionally, the change will make the lists less relevant to authors and readers, as well as the entire publishing and library community. On behalf of more than 20,000 members and their millions of readers, we strongly urge the Times to rethink its extremely limited definition of what constitutes a bestselling novel."

The organizations include: Horror Writers of America (1,500 members), Mystery Writers of America (3,000), Novelists Inc. (900), Romance Writers of America (10,000), Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (1,900), Sisters in Crime (3,800).