Small Press Distribution Bestseller Lists, 2006 to 2023

• Years covered: 2006 to 2023
• Genres: poetry (monthly lists), fiction and nonfiction (lists every other month)
• Entries: 7,820 list placements
• Different titles: 4,004
• Authors: 3,513
• Presses: 702

The last column counts how many bestseller lists each book appeared on. A high number means a book stayed popular for a long time.

Poetry made up well over half of all placements, which shows how strong independent presses are in that form. Fiction and nonfiction followed, often from presses that champion translated, experimental or regional work. Many of the books that stayed on the lists longest came from small presses with a clear identity, and they were often tied to one voice, one city or one community.

The lesson for authors is that a book does not need a mass-market publisher to find readers. A well-edited, well-designed book with a clear audience can build a lasting life. Our editing and cover design teams help you get there, and our small press directory lists presses that read submissions.

This archive is based on "Small Press Distribution Bestseller Lists 2006-2023" by Sera-Ann Hargrove and Micah Bateman (editors: Alexander Manshel, J.D. Porter and Melanie Walsh), published by the Post45 Data Collective, DOI 10.18737/857371, licensed under CC BY 4.0. We grouped the original rows into unique titles and added list counts, first and last list dates and best ranks. Lists from 2006 to May 2021 come from archived copies of the original Small Press Distribution website, and later lists from its Instagram account.