Shin Kyung-Sook’s “Please Look After Mom” begins to slip; Plans to publish 2nd novel

Please Look After Mom has begun to slide, both on the NYT Bestsellers list and on Amazon.  On the NYT bestsellers list it is now 19th. My friend in publishing notes:

Mom fell to #19, off the printed list. The usual take on this is either a) it’s still finding its audience, and will build momentum to return to the printed list; or b) too many hot new titles are being released and clogging the Top 15. Note that there are four titles making their first appearance on this list. Last week’s #1 is now #4; last week’s #s 10, 11, 14 (Mom) and 15 are no longer in the Top 15. It’s a tough list to stay on. Most of the Top 15 are established repeat “name brand” authors.

 

Amazon screenshot

What Goes Up

It seems likely that the latter argument (plus the analysis of how the list has moved and what new books have popped up) is true, since Please Look After Mom is also slipping on  Amazon. Where it has almost dropped out of the top 100 books, though is still doing remarkably well in the literary category.

None of this is surprising and none of it should take away from what has been accomplished. Further, there is some hope that Shin will become one of those “established repeat ‘name brand’ authors” mentioned above, because as the AFP Press agency notes, “Shin is also scheduled to publish her latest novel I’ll Be There in the US.” Let’s hope they take Chi-Young Kim along as translator!

 

NYT Times List

19th