The Life Expectancy of Bestsellers:
Additional Data from the Lulu.com Study

THE LONGEST STINT AT NO. 1
FOR EACH DECADE STUDIED

1950s (1956--59) (Decade average: 16.4 weeks) 

Advise and Consent by Allen Drury – 57 weeks

Hit #1 on Oct 14, 1959, and stayed there for most of 1960. Drury was a political journalist for The New York Times itself and Advise and Consent told the inside story of a fictional US administration. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 and is credited with inventing the genre of the political thriller.

1960s (Decade average: 21.7 weeks) 

The Source by James Michener – 43 Weeks

Hit No. 1 on Jul 11, 1965 and stayed top until it was knocked off the #1 spot by Jacquelin Susan’s Valley of the Dolls on May 8, 1966. The story revolves around an archaeological dig in Israel/Palestine, and takes the reader on a colourful and epic journey through the history of the Jews.

1970s (Decade average: 13.9 weeks) 

Love Story by Erich Segal – 41 weeks

Made No. 1 on May 10, 1970 and remained top for 41 consecutive weeks. It started life as a screenplay before a literary agent suggested that Segal make it into a novel. The following year, he turned it back into a script, which in turn spawned the hit 1971 movie of the same name.

1980s (Decade average: 7.2 weeks) 

The Covenant by James Michener – 25 weeks

Reached No.1 on November 2, 1980 and stayed there almost six months. Another Michener historical epic, it tells the story of the birth of the Zulu nation.

1990s (Decade average: 5.5 weeks) 

The Client by John Grisham – 23 weeks

Reached No.1 on March 21, 1993, staying top for 23 weeks – no other book this decade even got close to this.

This Grisham thriller tells the story of a kid who discovers a terrible secret and finds the Mafia and others on his tail, before a lawyer comes to his aid.

The 2000s (2000--2005) (Decade average: 3 weeks)

Blow Fly by Patrician Cornwell – 16 weeks

Hit No.1 on November 2, 2003. This suspense/crime novel is about a familiar Cornwell character, the forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta and her ex--FBI friends, here dragged from retirement for a further assignment.

By the 2000s many No. 1s spend just a single week at the top of the list.

AVERAGE ANNUAL NUMBER OF NOVELS
TO REACH NO. 1 PER DECADE STUDIED

The number of bestsellers per year has increased by over 700 per cent since the 1960s, more than doubled since the 80s and almost doubled since the 90s. If present trends continue, they will have doubled in the 00s compared to the 90s.

LIFE--EXPECTANCY OF NO. 1 BESTSELLERS
PER DECADE STUDIED