The Best Selling Fiction Books and Authors of the 2010s
Or…a guide to thrillers, romance, and historical fiction
In my last story, I looked at the top 20 fiction books of the 2010s according to critics and the top 20 according to fans. In this story, I look at what many publishers say is the only poll that counts — sales.
As a proxy for US sales, I use the number of weeks spent at number 1 on the New York Times best seller list. I realize there are limitations to this approach. For example, a book could sell consistently for years but never make it to number 1. But I think this approach probably gives a reasonable overview of the top 20.
There is a clear lead group of four books which combined spent one hundred weeks at number 1 — that is, 19% of weeks over ten years.
At the top of the list is Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Who would have thought that the best selling book of the 2010s would be a piece of S&M erotica? A series of much-anticipated but less well-received feature films boosted sales. This was one of those rare books that became a social phenomenon, a topic of conversation amongst non-bibliophiles. I read…
