Bestsellers?

Well this is a lovely present :D. I have been reading past LJ posts (in lurk-mode because really, who wants comments on entries that are months old?) in a vain attempt to catch up on everything, but I've also been reading my friends list -- and tnh, at making light, has posted a comment about misinformation and the publishing industry.

She is, as usual, right, but one of the things that strikes me about the article -- and the questions she poses in her response -- is this: How do most people know what a Bestseller is?

( Well… how do they? )

ETA: I want a Dire Legal Notice!
ETA (In reference to the copyright notice on Making Light itself, just in case some of you think I'm asking to be sued)

Bestsellers again

So the pernicious idea that all publishers are now pursuing a model in which "bestseller or bust" is the anthem (I want goose-stepping, too) must come from somewhere.

( One minor digression )

I think that the notion of "bestseller or bust" comes partly from writers and agents and the stories that arise from midlist sales.

( Reasons for the persistence of this myth, which aren't even bad reasons )

( Another digression, about momentum )