Midwest Independent Bestseller List Announced

The first Midwest Independent Bestseller List, published in a cooperative effort between the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA), the Upper Midwest Booksellers Association (UMBA), and Book Sense, has made its debut. The Midwest bestseller list is the fourth regional Book Sense bestseller list, joining lists published in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, New England Booksellers Association, and Southeast Booksellers Association. The lists are created from weekly sales reports from independent bookstores within each region to the national Book Sense Bestseller List.

"I think [the list] will be a great asset to independent booksellers, and it will be beneficial to readers because it will pique their interest," said Anita Zager of Northern Lights Books & Gifts, in Duluth, Minnesota, and UMBA Board president. "In particular, it might highlight unique titles, and the current list [for the week ending July 21, 2002] has a lot of great book group titles."

Said GLBA President Tom Lowry, owner of Lowry’s Books in Three Rivers, Michigan, "I’m ecstatic that we finally have a regional bestseller list that reflects what is happening in the Midwest."

The Midwest Independent Bestseller List includes sales from Book Sense stores in 13 mid-western states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. The Midwest regional list includes bestsellers in the categories of Trade Paperback Fiction, Trade Paperback Nonfiction, Hardcover Fiction, Hardcover Nonfiction, Mass Market, and Children’s Books (Fiction and Illustrated).

Beginning next week, ABA will be sending the list to the GLBA and UMBA offices on Wednesday afternoons.

For more information, please contact Kristen Gilligan at (914) 591-2665, ext. 1286 or e-mail [email protected].