New York Times to Eliminate Graphic Novels Best Seller List
Thursday’s news of the shrinking of the New York Times graphic novel best seller lists was quickly eclipsed by other events in the news. So, in case you missed it, New York Times Book Review editor, Pamela Paul, announced that a number of the New York Times best seller lists will be discontinued. Among the lists on the chopping block are the Hardcover Graphic Novel, Paperback Graphic Novel and Manga lists. The lists will stop publishing on February 5th.
Many authors and artists went to Twitter to comment on the demise of this list, which helped give the Graphic Novels format validity to educators, librarians, and parents. Paul insisted that the Times will continue to cover this medium with expanded coverage and the best-selling titles will be rolled into other lists.
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.@nytimes shutting down Ppbk Graphic Books Bestseller List is unfortunate. So many new& established creators benefited from the recognition.
— Raina Telgemeier (@goraina) January 26, 2017
Alternatively, Neil Gaiman tweeted:
I liked it better when we had to fight for our place on the list. Don’t mind going back to that at all. https://t.co/ElIYeZe36X
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 27, 2017
According to a Publisher’s Weekly Article, “graphic novel print sales rose 11% in 2016, according to BookScan, one of the strongest gains in the adult fiction segment.”
How this will affect sales and libraries is yet to be seen.
Filed under: Graphic Novels, News
About Esther Keller
Esther Keller is the librarian at JHS 278, Marine Park in Brooklyn, NY. There she started the library's first graphic novel collection and strongly advocated for using comics in the classroom. She also curates the Graphic Novel collection for the NYC DOE Citywide Digital Library. She started her career at the Brooklyn Public Library and later jumped ship to the school system so she could have summer vacation and a job that would align with a growing family's schedule. On the side, she is a mother of 4 and regularly reviews for SLJ and School Library Connection (formerly LMC). In her past life, she served on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee where she solidified her love and dedication to comics.
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I am very sad at the exclusion of graphic novels from the list. I am an elementary school librarian whose students love graphic novels. I have recently read Roller Girl by Victoria Jameison and Smile by Raina Telgemeier. These are legitimate literature and the favorites of many of my library patrons. I urge anyone who is involved in this decision to read and explore graphic novels for themselves if they haven’t!