Friday, June 11, 2010

Comparison of Bestseller Lists for May 2010


Here is the comparison of CBA's "July" list and ECPA's "June" list, both reflecting sales of fiction in participating Christian bookstores in the month of May. Books appearing only on one list are highlighted in blue. For a reminder of how these lists are put together by ECPA and CBA, please refer to the first few paragraphs of this post.


CBA (Numbers in parentheses reflect book's standing on CBA Top 50 list.)

1. (8) Her Mother’s Hope, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
2. (12) Take Three, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
3. (18) The Telling, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
4. (21) Edge of Apocalypse, Tim LaHaye & Craig Parshall,
5. (29) The Shack, William P. Young, Windblown Media
6. (36) Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Multnomah/WaterBrook
7. (43) The Bride Collector, Ted Dekker, Center Street/Hachette
8. (48) A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
9. Betsy’s Return, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour

10. Maid to Match, Deeanne Gist, Bethany/Baker)
11. Kiss, Ted Dekker & Erin Healy, Thomas Nelson
12. Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
13. The Silent Governess, Julie Klassen, Bethany/Baker
14. No Distance Too Far, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
15. Here Burns My Candle, Liz Curtis Higgs, WaterBrook
16. Dawn’s Prelude, Tracie Peterson, Bethany/Baker
17. A Lady Like Sarah, Margaret Brownley, Thomas Nelson

18. Take One, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
19. The Jewel of His Heart, Maggie Brendan, Revell/Baker
20. In Harm's Way, Irene Hannon, Revell/Baker


ECPA (Numbers in parentheses refer to book's standing on the ECPA Top 50 list.)

1. (7) The Telling, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
2. (9) Her Mother's Hope, Francine Rivers,Tyndale
3. (10) Edge of Apocalypse, Tim LaHaye/Craig Parshall, Zondervan
4. (12) Take Three, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
5. (16) The Shack, William P. Young, Windblown Media
6. (20) A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
7. (23) The Bride Collector, Ted Dekker, Center Street/Hatchette 
8. (24) Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
9. (28) Betsy's Return, Wanda E. Brunstetter, Barbour
10. (30) No Distance Too Far, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
11. (34) Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Waterbrook/Multnomah
12. (50) Take One, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
13. In Harm's Way, Irene Hannon, Revell/Baker
14. Greater Love, Robert Whitlow, Thomas Nelson
15. Take Two, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
16. Letters to God, Patrick Doughtie & John Perry, Zondervan
17. A Promise of Hope, Amy Clipston, Zondervan
18. A Measure of Mercy, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
19. The Missing, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
20. The Secret, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker

3 comments:

Sheila Deeth said...

Thanks for the lists.

Rita Gerlach said...

I've always been curious about how these bestsellers lists come about. It's always the best known authors, and unusual to see a new author or someone lesser known.

I asked a famous romance writer about this who is on the ABA bestsellers list every time she has a book out. She told me some of it is based on sales, but more so it is a promotional tool used by the industry to generate sales.

Not sure, but couldn't it be both?

~ Brandilyn Collins said...

ABA and CBA lists (including ECPA) are done differently. For these lists, follow the link at the top of the post to see how the data are gathered to form the lists.

It's natural that well known authors return again and again to the lists. The number one reason for book sales is author recognition. Authors whose names are known have a large group of fans waiting for the next book.

However, newcomers do break through. There are a few on this month's lists, and that's always good to see.