It is a truth generally acknowledged that authors and publishers want their books to become bestsellers. Bestseller lists, especially those published in prestigious media outlets, such as the New York Times, or publishing industry magazines are important marketing tools for publishers, and useful selection tools for booksellers, librarians and readers.

An appearance on a New York Times bestseller list is a major coup for a book and its author. Even if, as economist Alan Sorensen contends, "appearing on the list leads to a modest increase in sales for the average book," the benefit is "more dramatic for bestsellers by debut authors," who are more likely to secure contracts for new books and become recognizable brands.

Yet the "bestseller" remains a contentious and uncertain concept. The New York Times lists, for example, are based on sales figures reported by thousands of stores of all sizes and demographics from the United States and key online vendors of ebooks. Bestsellers are grouped in multiple categories, with some categories of books excluded.

But how the lists are compiled is not entirely clear. The methodology has been defended as "a secret both to protect our product and to make sure people can't try to rig the system." Yet there is some evidence that gaming the system does sometimes occur.

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