New Moon Companion Debuts At Number 1

At probably the utter surprise of no one, The Twilight Saga: New Moon Illustrated Movie Companion debuted in the number one position on the New York Times bestseller list in its first week of eligibility. The book appears in the Paperback Advice category. Yes, we know that sounds awfully weird, but it’s the New York Times’ list and they like it that way.

The Twilight Saga novels have been solidly placing on the best seller lists since the novel New Moon was released back in 2006, consistently ranking in the top five from that point to today. All the the novels in the Twilight Saga are currently in the Series Book category in the children’s division. The New York Times has no subdivision for YA books.  Also, once there are three or more books in a series they move from being in the chapter books division to the series division. The Twilight Saga novels are currently in the number 1 position in the series category. The Host is currently ranked 30th in the Hardcover Fiction category.

On the USA TODAY chart, the New Moon Companion is in the number 6 position. Keep in mind that on their chart, they lump all books into one category. So, that’s number 6 of everything that’s out there!  The book is not eligible for the Publishers Weekly or Wall Street Journal lists since those lists don’t have a category that represents books such as The Twilight Saga: New Moon Illustrated Movie Companion.

Mark Cotta Vaz is the author of the companion. He was also the author of last year’s successful Twilight Companion. Last year we were able to interview Mark about his creative process in writing companion books:

You have done a lot of movie and TV based companion guides to series such as Lost, Star Wars, and Spiderman that have met with acclaim from notoriously picky fans. That’s a pretty impressive track record since many companion books don’t resonate with fans. What do you think are the most important three things to have a movie guide be successful with fans?

First, a little empathy goes a long way, and anyone writing about a beloved television or film series has to emotionally and spiritually connect with the subject. If you hate blockbuster movies, if you dislike the Star Wars or James Bond movies or whatever, you’re not going to be true to the fans of those films.

Second, it’s a sin to be boring. Behind-the-scenes books involve a lot of exposition, but the key is producing a lively narrative that is not only informative, but captures the inherent excitement of the material.

Third, it’s fun to use the main material as a springboard to bring in corollary subjects that expand upon and enrich the reading experience. Ultimately, the end result will take readers on a journey to the heart of what makes the particular subject popular and powerful, providing a fresh perspective and appreciation of the material.”

You can catch the rest of Mark’s interview here.