The Best-Selling Books by Black Authors

Welcome to Today in Books, where we bring you the latest literary news at the crossroads of politics, culture, media, and more.

Obtaining book sales data is a challenge as it often requires a significant financial investment. Best-seller lists typically showcase only a limited number of titles, usually between 10 to 20. These lists consistently lack diversity, prompting questions about what books are selling beyond the top rankings and where diverse voices are gaining visibility. While strides have been made in promoting inclusivity in publishing, there is still much progress to be made. While publishers cannot dictate readers’ choices, tools are being developed to track emerging trends and provide a boost to lesser-known titles gaining traction.

An insightful article by Dan Sinykin in Defector celebrates the art of close reading, highlighting its merits and pleasures. Despite concerns about the current state of literary discourse, particularly in the age of social media, there is hope that in-depth analysis could become more popular. The prospect of detailed discussions, like TikTok videos exploring themes such as Homeric narration, offers a glimpse of a potentially engaging trend in the future.