Congratulations to Third World Press

Third World Press accomplished a first this week. Its book The Covenant with Black America, edited and with an introduction by Tavis Smiley, became the first book from a Black publisher to top The New York Times Best Seller List.

There's a lot that goes into coming up with a best seller, especially for an independent publisher. You have to provide a book that people want to buy, obviously, but they have to know about it in the first place, and they have to be able to buy it. Getting books into the big stores in enough quantity to supply a best seller is a major accomplishment. Shelf space is at a premium, and Borders, Barnes & Noble, or whoever don't want to fill their space with books that aren't going to move. (Actually, that's only partially true. They will fill up with one or two copies of lots of books that probably won't move so they look like they've got a broad selection, but after the books have sat there for several months without selling, the stores send them back to the publishers for a refund.)

I have to admit, I've never looked that closely at the fine print of the Times list, but upon examination, it seems that the lists are two weeks old by the time they get printed. Yesterday's list, linked above as well, is for the week ending April 8. Since the lists are prepared in advance, they're ready well before they see publication. In fact, next Sunday's list is already available online, and it appears that The Covenant with Black America holds its position on the paperback nonfiction list for a second week.