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Trudi M. Rosenblum -- 6/5/00
The top-selling audiobooks show how the industry has grown over the years
As the audiobook industry enters the new millennium, audiobook titles are racking up increasingly impressive sales. In 1996, when PW listed the all-time bestselling audiobooks, only 54 titles had sold more than 100,000 units. Four years later, that number has exactly doubled. Of those, 34 have sold 200,000 or more. In 1996, Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Simon & Schuster Audio) became the first retail audio title to sell one million units. Since then, it's been joined by John Gray's Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (Harper Audio), while Seven Habits has set a new benchmark of 1.5 million.
Here, then, is a list of the audio industry's all-time bestsellers. Within each sales category, the titles are listed alphabetically by author. The sales figures came from the publishers, except for Brilliance Corp. Eileen Hutton, v-p, editorial, at Brilliance, told PW that the company has several titles that have sold over 100,000 units, but that company policy precludes giving out sales figures. However, PW was able to determine approximate sales figures for Tuesdays with Morrie independently. |
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Please Note: This is a list of retail titles only. It d s not include nonretail publishers such as Nightingale-Conant, which sells business titles at seminars and through mail order.
1.5 million | 1 million | 500,000-600,000 | 400,000-500,000
300,000-400,000 | 200,000-300,000 | 100,000-200,000
1.5 million
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Simon & Schuster Audio
1 million
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray, Harper Audio
500,000-600,000
News from Lake Wobegon by Garrison Keillor, HighBridge
400,000-500,000
Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins, Simon & Schuster
300,000-400,000
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, Time Warner AudioBooks
First Things First by Stephen Covey, Simon & Schuster
More News from Lake Wobegon by Garrison Keillor, HighBridge
Gospel Birds by Garrison Keillor, HighBridge
Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor, HighBridge
The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
200,000-300,000
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, Brilliance Audio
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, Random House AudioBooks
Coping with Difficult People by Robert M. Bramson, Simon & Schuster Audio
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, Simon & Schuster Audio
Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy, Random House AudioBooks
Executive Orders by Tom Clancy, Random House AudioBooks
You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen, Audio Renaissance
Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen Covey, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Lost World by Michael Crichton, Random House AudioBooks
The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans, BDD Audio
How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less by Milo O. Frank, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Brethren by John Grisham, BDD Audio
The Partner by John Grisham, BDD Audio
The Rainmaker by John Grisham, BDD Audio
Runaway Jury by John Grisham, BDD Audio
The Street Lawyer by John Grisham, BDD Audio
The Testament by John Grisham, BDD Audio
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Audio Renaissance
How to Meditate by Laurence LeShan, Audio Renaissance
Nine Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman, Random House AudioBooks
The Road Less Traveled, Part 1 by M. Scott Peck, Simon & Schuster Audio
Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins, Simon & Schuster Audio
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, Listening Library
How to Get What You Want by Zig Ziglar, Simon & Schuster Audio
100,000-200,000
The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams, Harper Audio
Simple Abundance by Sarah Ben Breathnach, Time Warner AudioBooks
The Book of Virtues, Volume 1 by William J. Bennett, Simon & Schuster Audio
Doing It Now by Edwin C. Bliss, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, Random House AudioBooks
Don't Worry, Make Money by Richard Carlson, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Leader in You by Dale Carnegie, Simon & Schuster Audio
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra, Random House AudioBooks
The Higher Self by Deepak Chopra, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy, Simon & Schuster Audio
Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, Audio Partners
Tom Clancy's Op-Center (the first title) by Tom Clancy, Random House AudioBooks
Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy, Random House AudioBooks
The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy, Simon & Schuster Audio
Before I Say Good-bye by Mary Higgins Clark, Simon & Schuster Audio
Moonlight BecomesYou by Mary Higgins Clark, Simon & Schuster Audio
My Gal Sunday by Mary Higgins Clark, Simon & Schuster Audio
Pretend You Don't See Her by Mary Higgins Clark, Simon & Schuster Audio
Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell, Random House AudioBooks
Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell, Random House AudioBooks
Living the Seven Habits by Stephen Covey, Simon & Schuster Audio
Airframe by Michael Crichton, Random House AudioBooks
Timeline by Michael Crichton, Random House AudioBooks
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Simon & Schuster Audio
Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, Simon & Schuster Audio
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, Random House AudioBooks
The Road Ahead by Bill Gates, HighBridge
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Audio Renaissance
Just As I Am by Billy Graham, Harper Audio
Mars & Venus Audio Collection by John Gray, Harper Audio
Mars & Venus in Love by John Gray, Harper Audio
Mars & Venus in the Bedroom by John Gray, Harper Audio
Hannibal by Thomas Harris, BDD Audio
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, Simon & Schuster Audio
Every Little Thing by James Herriot, Audio Renaissance
The Executive Memory Guide by Hermine Hilton, Simon & Schuster Audio
A Night Without Armor by Jewel, Harper Audio
Lake Wobegon USA by Garrison Keillor, HighBridge
Stories by Garrison Keillor, HighBridge
Blood and Smoke by Stephen King, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Mist in 3D Sound by Stephen King, Simon & Schuster Audio
Charles Kuralt's America by Charles Kuralt, Simon & Schuster Audio
A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt, Simon & Schuster Audio
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, Simon & Schuster Audio
'Tis by Frank McCourt, Simon & Schuster Audio
Truman by David McCullough, Simon & Schuster Audio
Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore, Harper Audio
Star Trek: Conversational Klingon by Marc Okrand, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Road Less Traveled, Volume 2 by M. Scott Peck, Simon & Schuster Audio
Body for Life by Bill Philips, Harper Audio
My American Journey by Colin Powell, Random House AudioBooks
The Tenth Insight by Salle Merrill Redfield, Time Warner AudioBooks
Celestine Meditations by Salle Merrill Redfield, Time Warner AudioBooks
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, Listening Library
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, Listening Library
Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives by Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Harper Audio
Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears, Harper Audio
The Zone by Barry Sears, Harper Audio
Love, Medicine and Miracles by Bernie Siegel, Harper Audio
How to Argue and Win Every Time by Gerry Spence, Audio Renaissance
The Gift by Danielle Steel, BDD Audio
Mega Memory by Kevin Trudeau, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Burden of Proof by Scott Turow, Simon & Schuster Audio
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow, Simon & Schuster Audio
Mark Twain Tonight by Mark Twain/ Hal Holbrook, Audio Partners
Developing Winner's Habits by Denis E. Waitley, Simon & Schuster Audio
Return to Love by Marianne Williamson, Harper Audio
Make the Connection by Oprah Winfrey, Random House AudioBooks
Getting Organized by Stephanie Winston, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Organized Executive by Stephanie Winston, Simon & Schuster Audio
Five Steps to Successful Selling by Zig Ziglar, Simon & Schuster Audio
Goals by Zig Ziglar, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, Audio RenaissanceBack To Features
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