Trades to get bestseller list

The paperback fiction bestseller list produced by the New York Times Book Review will expand this weekend to include a new fiction list for trade paperbacks.

Under the plan announced this week by the newspaper, authors of trade paperback fiction titles -- which are typically issued in larger, more expensive editions -- will have their own weekly list beginning Sunday. They will no longer have to compete for space with authors of bestselling mass-market paperback titles, which will be ranked on a separate list.

The plan offers a boost to both emerging and established writers of quality fiction, whose paperback editions rarely sell as well as mass-market titles by brand-name authors. The expansion could also help the book review boost advertising revenue; industry observers believe publishers might be more likely to buy additional ads, given the expansion of the lists.

The newspaper’s paperback fiction list, which currently lists 15 titles, will expand to two lists containing 20 titles apiece. Bestseller lists for how-to, miscellaneous and advice books will also expand from five to 10 titles weekly.

-- Josh Getlin