E-book Bestseller List Debuts

Steven M. Zeitchik -- Publishers Weekly, 8/2/1999

eBookConnections.com, a Web site devoted to e-book and digital press content, has launched what is believed to be the first e-book bestseller list.

Divided into four categories -- cumulative sales, per-month sales, new releases and overall releases -- the list compiles information from at least a dozen digital presses. This has resulted in a bestseller list of titles that are barely known in the trade world (#1 on the new release list was The Renegade's Woman from Dreams Unlimited).

In August, however, founder Jamie Engle hopes to begin including titles from print publishers. To accomplish this, she will approach e-book manufacturers such as NuvoMedia and Softbook, which have traditionally been reticent about releasing numbers. "The e-book bestseller list came about because there is no bestseller list that represents the majority of e-book titles available," said Engle, who also initiated an electronic publishing listserv.

Engle's site features other e-book content, including reviews, interviews and e-book news. In an e-mail to PW she wrote, "Ebookconnections uses the bestseller lists, reviews, and book release/author/publisher information to help move eBooks into the mainstream for readers and writers."