Best Sellers

How does one define a ‘best seller’?

To quote The Canadian Encylopedia, “popular literature in English is writing which has shown wide and continued acceptance, measured by sales, frequent imitation, adaptation to other cultural forms and general commercial success. The word popular is meant as a synonym for successful, not as an antonym for serious."

“In Canada, whether published in paperback or cloth editions or both, trade or general books are considered to have had satisfactory sales if they have sold 1500 copies (poetry, play), 3000 (first novel) or 7000 (political commentary); at double these figures the publisher may have a best seller. Arguably the best-selling Canadian author of all time is Arthur Hailey, many of whose novels, such as Hotel (1965) and Airport (1968), have sold millions of copies each. The much anticipated and best-selling works of contemporary fiction writers such as Margaret Atwood, Ann-Marie MacDonald, and Michael Ondaatje might also be labeled popular literature. Popular, nonfiction authors such as Farley Mowat, Peter C. Newman, and Naomi Klein, who write serious books of particular interest to Canadians, enjoy hardcover sales of 75,000-150,000 copies per title. As substantial as such figures may seem, they pale in comparison with the sales record of Coles Notes. This series of study aids in monograph form (over 400 titles since 1947) has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.”

There is no question that 40 million books is a lot of books but compared to the top ten selling authors of all time, it is but a drop in the bucket. How many of these top ten have you read?

Number 10 on the list might surprise you. Not because she is on the list but because she isn’t farther up the list, at least not yet. British children’s author J.K. Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, has sold 400 million copies. Although, one could argue that she is the most successful author of all time due to the fact that she has already made more money than any of the rest and royalties are still pouring in.

Number nine, with 413 million copies, is Russian author Leo Tolstoy who penned War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Number eight is American author Gilbert Pattern (b1866) who produced one 20 thousand-word story a week for twenty years and sold them for a dime. That is a lot of words! He often received very little money, and no royalties for what he produced.

Dr. Suess (Theodore Seuss Geisel), the second children’s author to make the list published over 60 books and has sold 500 million copies thus far. The American author, for books that he did not do the animated illustrations, also published books under the name of Theo.LeSieg.

Danielle Fernande Dominique Schuelein-Steel, or Danielle Steel has had her works translated into 28 languages that are circulated in 47 countries with 570 million copies. This ranks the American author as number six. The second English author and third children’s author to make the list is the prolific Enid Blyton. Her work has been translated into other languages over 3400 times making her equal to Shakespeare. 600 million copies of her work have been sold.

Detective/mystery writer Georges Simenon, the only Belgian author on the list, with 700 million copies sits at number four. At 750 million copies sold, American author of graphic sexual thrillers, Harold Robbins ranks third in the list of best selling authors of all time. Affectionately known as The Queen of Romance, British writer Barbara Cartland, who passed away at the age of 99 years old in 2000, sold 1 billion copies of her works.
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And at the top of the list? Agatha Christie, British Queen of Crime, who has sold a staggering 4 billion copies! Sort of makes the Canadian best selling mark seem paltry, doesn’t it?

Thanks to everyone who submitted a Milford Bay Branch Hours of Service Survey that helped us choose these new hours that start January 24: Mondays and Wednesdays 5pm to 7pm.

Art Classes for Adults A series of six art classes at the Port Carling branch that can be taken individually with Nancy Gray Ogle on Thursdays beginning January 27. Contact Nancy at 764-0212

Literacy Week Plan to come to the Muskoka Lakes Public Library in Port Carling and play word games, board games, Wii games, and action games during the week of January 24th. On Thursday, January 27 you and your family can also enjoy a cup of hot Alphabet Soup!

Scrabble and Boggle The Port Carling branch of the library is looking for donations of Scrabble games, Boggle games, and sturdy juvenile jigsaw puzzles.

Creative Kids Club for children 8+ at the library in Port Carling every Saturday at a new time 1:00pm to 2:30pm January 15 – March 15, 2011. FREE but please pre-register as space is limited. 765-5650.

Kniterary Thursday afternoons at 1:00 Bring your knitting project or other needlework project to the library and socialize with other crafters. Discuss what you are reading or what you would like to read while enjoying the company of others over a cup of tea. All welcome!

Pre-school story time Wednesdays 10:30-11:30 (matched to Trillium Lakelands school board calendar) Muskoka Lakes Public Library, Port Carling

The Book Club meets in the afternoon on the last Tuesday of every month from September through April. January’s selection is The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchett. All welcome!

Winterfest Watch for the Muskoka Lakes Public Library’s Creative Kids craft workshop booth on Saturday, February 6 at the annual winter celebration in Port Carling.