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79-526: The Southern Vampire Mysteries , also known as The True Blood Novels and The Sookie Stackhouse Novels , is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris . The first installment, Dead Until Dark (2001), won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001 and later served as the source material for the HBO drama series True Blood (2008–2014). The book series has been retronymed
158-502: A 50% decrease in price for books on the Best Seller List to beat its competition, Barnes & Noble . After a legal dispute between Amazon and The New York Times , Amazon was permitted to keep using the list on condition that it displayed it in alphabetical rather than numerical order. By 2010, this was no longer the case; Amazon now displays the best-seller list in order of best-selling titles first. In 2013, Forbes published
237-486: A few powerful witches) can block their minds from telepaths. Sookie refers to their minds as being "shielded". Telepaths are rarely encountered in the supernatural community. It is revealed in Dead Reckoning that Sookie's power of telepathy was granted to her family by the half-demon Desmond Cataliades. He was great friends with Sookie's half-fairy grandfather Fintan, and so he became a sponsor to Fintan's descendants and
316-506: A former lackey of the Queen, was jealous of Hadley's position, so he lured her to a cemetery and killed her. Mr. Cataliades informs Sookie that Waldo has been caught, and that his punishment is in Sookie's hands - she must decide. Her answer surprises him, and Sookie notices that it also surprises the hidden occupant of the limousine: the Queen. Two characters from this story are mentioned in passing in
395-656: A hard time resisting fairies because of their smell and taste; fairy blood is intoxicating to vampires. A fairy, Claudine , is first introduced in Dead to the World . Watching vampires react to her, Sookie thinks that “it was like watching cats that'd suddenly spotted something skittering along the baseboards.” This makes face-to-face interactions between them all but impossible. However some individuals, such as Sookie's great-grandfather Niall Brigant , can "suppress their essence", effectively masking their scent and making such contact safer. In
474-453: A home unless invited, and if an invitation is withdrawn, they are physically unable to remain on the premises. Since vampires can persuade humans to invite them to enter their homes, humans must avoid eye contact and order the vampire off the premises when an unfriendly one tries to gain entry. Fangbangers , the human cult followers fascinated by vampires, include volunteers willing to be bitten to provide fresh blood nourishment to vampires. If
553-400: A later book Sookie has a vague memory of these events. In "Gift Wrap", Sookie finds herself alone for Christmas. Her brother and closest friends each have their own plans, and she perversely chose not to ask other friends for an invitation. She recalls that she heard a noise in the woods the night before, so she trudges out to investigate. She finds Preston, a naked, muddy and bloody man, who
632-479: A later book, but this story does not affect the storylines in the Southern Vampires novels. Insurance agent Greg Aubert asks Sookie (and her witch friend Amelia) to investigate a break-in at his office. He is concerned that someone will discover that he uses magic spells to protect his property and his clients. Amelia and Sookie discover that the break-in was just Greg's daughter and her secretive boyfriend, who
711-482: A senior book marketing executive who said the rankings were "smoke and mirrors"; while a report in Book History found that many professionals in the book industry "scoffed at the notion that the lists are accurate". Specific criticisms include: In 1983, author William Peter Blatty sued The New York Times for $ 6 million, claiming that his book, Legion (filmed as The Exorcist III ), had not been included in
790-452: A stake, exposed to sunlight, burned by fire, completely drained of their blood (if not treated promptly), or decapitated. Silver is highly toxic to them. Unlike the vampire mythology of other universes, Harris' universe states that crucifixes do not affect vampires, garlic only produces allergic reactions, vampires can be photographed, and most (except the "very old ones") can enter places of worship or step on "holy ground". They cannot enter
869-476: A story titled "Can bestseller lists be bought?" It describes how author and pastor Mark Driscoll contracted the company ResultSource to place his book Real Marriage (2012) on The New York Times Best Seller list for a $ 200,000 fee. The contract was for ResultSource "to conduct a bestseller campaign for your book, Real Marriage on the week of January 2, 2012. The bestseller campaign is intended to place Real Marriage on The New York Times bestseller list for
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#1733084572454948-415: A story titled "Here's How You Buy Your Way Onto The New York Times Bestsellers List." The article discusses how ResultSource , a San Diego–based marketing consultancy, specializes in ensuring books make a bestseller list, even guaranteeing a No. 1 spot for those willing to pay enough. The New York Times was informed of this practice and responded: " The New York Times comprehensively tracks and tabulates
1027-580: A true witch, in New Orleans. The HBO series True Blood is loosely based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Sookie is portrayed by Academy Award –winning actress Anna Paquin . The New York Times Best Seller list The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. The New York Times Book Review has published
1106-419: A vampire and a human share blood (each drinking from the other), it will form a blood bond, linking the pair's psyches. Vampire blood without exchange is sought after by humans as a drug that can enhance strength, heal wounds, and increase attractiveness, among other desirable effects. Due to the shortage of willing vampire donors, human "drainers" attack vampires and drain their entire blood supply, either staking
1185-602: A were can transform a person unwillingly at full moons into a man/beast form closer to that of classic legend, but a person must be bitten several times to accumulate growth. Shapeshifting conditions manifest in puberty . As Sam tells Sookie, shapeshifters can assume the form of any animal , but most often change to the same animal every time, usually a creature they have a special affinity for, and they call themselves by that animal, e.g., werebat or weredog. In contrast, weres are only able to shift into one animal (werebats, werelynxes, werepanthers, weretigers, or werewolves). Within
1264-434: Is actually a newly turned vampire. However, Sookie learns that two other agents in town have had break-ins, and all are getting excessive amounts of claims which may drive them out of business. It seems that Greg's spells have been using up all the luck in town. "Gift Wrap" is a short story and extension of The Southern Vampire Mysteries . This story does not affect the storylines in the Southern Vampires novels, although in
1343-452: Is also implied that Fairies can cast spells, as Claudine was muttering something under her breath to hypnotize or calm down the people she and her brother, Claude, were interrogating. Claudine also magically appeared to aid Sookie when she was in mortal danger on several occasions, however, she hinted that there were limits to how and when she could perform that trick. Sookie was not always aware of her fairy godmother's timely interventions. It
1422-449: Is also known that fairies can conjure objects, demonstrated by Claudine in "Fairy Dust", when she summoned a contract, and in Dead to the World , when she changed her outfit magically. A fairy, Preston, also displays the ability to shapeshift and to seduce even Sookie, who is usually telepathically resistant to such abilities. Telepaths are humans who can read the minds of other humans and feel
1501-434: Is centuries old. Those who have fairy blood in them but are not full-blooded fairies are immune to the effects of iron, lemons, and limes, while maintaining some of the attractive qualities of fairies. Niall states that Sookie and Jason have both inherited the beauty of the fairies, but only certain creatures can tell they are part-fairy. As a genetic quirk (possibly due to fairy blood), Jason greatly resembles his great-uncle to
1580-450: Is contemporary, and the stories occasionally reference popular culture. The series is narrated in first person perspective by Sookie Stackhouse , a waitress and a telepath in the fictional town of Bon Temps in northwestern Louisiana . Harris was originally contracted to write 10 books, but she revealed at Comic-Con 2009 that she had signed a contract for three additional books. On May 14, 2012, Harris' Facebook administrator confirmed that
1659-520: Is editorial content, not objective factual content, so the Times had the legal right to exclude the book from the list. In 1995, Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema, the authors of a book called The Discipline of Market Leaders , colluded to manipulate their book onto the best seller charts. The authors allegedly purchased over 10,000 copies of their own book in small and strategically placed orders at bookstores whose sales are reported to BookScan . Because of
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#17330845724541738-501: Is nevertheless very attractive. To save him from further injury, she brings Preston back to her house and shields him from the Weres who come looking for him. When he starts kissing her, he tells her to pretend she found him gift-wrapped under the tree, and she succumbs to his charm. On Christmas Day, she is relieved to find a note saying he is gone. Her great-grandfather Niall Brigant turns up on her doorstep, surprising her with his company. In
1817-400: Is not a trait she obtained from her fairy blood. Sookie's telepathy is demonic in origin, specifically, Mr. Cataliades granted it to anyone of Sookie's grandmother's bloodline born with an "essential spark" or openness to the supernatural world, mixed his blood with In the short story "Fairy Dust", Sookie says Fairies love attention and admiration, a fact she learned from Sam. In this story, it
1896-475: Is present. "Fairy Dust" is a short story and extension of The Southern Vampire Mysteries . Published in Powers of Detection . It introduces another one of Sookie's fairy cousins, Claude , and the deceased third triplet Claudette. Claude and Claudine are recurring characters in later books of the series. In "Fairy Dust", Sookie is working at Merlottes when Claudine the fairy comes in and asks Sookie to read
1975-465: Is published by GeekNation, an entertainment website based in Los Angeles. The book was originally written as a script, and was rewritten as a novel in an attempt to launch a film franchise. In August 2017, conservative publisher Regnery Publishing said it would no longer allow its writers to claim to be " New York Times best-selling authors" due to its belief that the Times favors liberal books on
2054-478: The True Blood Series upon reprinting, to capitalize on the television adaptation. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood Series, Harris develops a detailed mythology and an alternative history scenario in which supernatural beings exist. Not only vampires but also werewolves and fairies exist in this scenario, and a growing public awareness of their presence is part of the plot development. The setting
2133-504: The New York Times . The Times stated it was not counted because it was published by a Canadian company. According to Random House Canada , the book was handled properly for the U.S. market. American conservative commentator Dennis Prager wrote an article for National Review titled " The Times Best-Seller List: Another Reason Americans Don't Trust the Media" in which he contends that
2212-440: The Times was being sued, the Times argued that the list is not mathematically objective but rather an editorial product, an argument that prevailed in the courts. In 2017, a Times representative said that the goal is that the lists reflect authentic best sellers. The list has been a source of controversy. When the Times believes a book has reached the list in a suspicious way—such as through bulk purchases—the book's entry on
2291-527: The 100,000 new, hardcover print books published each year, fewer than 500 make it on to The New York Times Best Seller list (0.5 percent). Many novels (26 percent) appear on the list for only one week. To make the list, it is estimated that novels sell from 1,000 to 10,000 copies per week, depending on competition. Median sales fluctuate between 4,000 and 8,000 in fiction, and 2,000–6,000 in nonfiction. The majority of New York Times bestselling books sell from 10,000 to 100,000 copies in their first year. During
2370-582: The 13th book, Dead Ever After , would be the final book of the series. Two years before the first novel's timeline (in 2002 according to the Sookieverse timeline), vampires around the world revealed themselves, via television, to the world as actual, and not mythical, beings after the development of a synthetic blood product (the most popular marketed brand of which is called "TrueBlood") that provided adequate sustenance for vampires and therefore did not require them to feed on human blood. Worldwide, reaction to
2449-559: The Advice How-to list." To achieve this, the contract stated that "RSI will be purchasing at least 11,000 total orders in one week." This took place, and the book successfully reached No.1 on the hardcover advice bestseller list on January 22, 2014. In July 2015, Ted Cruz 's book A Time For Truth was excluded from the list because the "overwhelming preponderance of evidence was that sales [of Cruz's book] were limited to strategic bulk purchases" to artificially increase sales and entry onto
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2528-507: The Book Review itself, we don't know (the news surveys department's) precise methods." In 1992, the survey encompassed over 3,000 bookstores as well as "representative wholesalers with more than 28,000 other retail outlets, including variety stores and supermarkets." By 2004, the number was 4,000 bookstores as well as an unstated number of wholesalers. Data is adjusted to give more weight to independent book stores, which are underrepresented in
2607-726: The February 13, 2011, issue, the first tracks combined print and e-book sales, the second tracks e-book sales only (both lists are further sub-divided into Fiction and Nonfiction). In addition a third new list was published on the web only, which tracks combined print sales (hardcover and paperback) in fiction and nonfiction. On December 16, 2012, the children's chapter books list was divided into two new lists: middle-grade (ages 8–12) and young adult (age 12–18), both which include sales across all platforms (hard, paper and e-book). According to an EPJ Data Science study that used big data to analyze every New York Times bestselling book from 2008 to 2016, of
2686-576: The King or Queen. Each kingdom is subdivided into areas (formerly known as fiefdoms), each controlled by a sheriff who owes allegiance to the monarch. Weres and shapeshifters can assume either human or animal forms, and are collectively referred to as the "two-natured". A variety of different types of weres and shapeshifters exist in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, including werefoxes, werepanthers, weretigers, werewolves , etc. Being bitten by
2765-499: The Southern Vampire Series, fairies can be killed with either lemons, limes, or iron. When a fairy dies, a corpse is not left, just a sparkling powder (or fairy dust); the body just fades away, and the fairy's spirit goes to the next oldest family member to tell them of their death. The fae calls their afterlife " The Summerlands ". Fairies are secretive about their race, customs, interactions, and world. They normally inhabit
2844-789: The United Kingdom , and the United States are more tolerant; However, even in the US, vampires are not permitted certain rights like the right to marry . Rather than acknowledging the legend that vampires are deceased humans who have risen from the dead to prey on the living, the vampires insist they are simply the victims of a medical condition that makes them allergic to sunlight and affects their dietary needs. Vampires are pale and cold, possess unfathomable strength and speed, and have keen senses of hearing, smell, and vision. This makes it easy for them to protect themselves. They can also remain completely still, expressionless, and silent. Vampires can control
2923-453: The United States. The sales figures are widely believed to represent books that have actually been sold at retail, rather than wholesale, as the Times surveys booksellers in an attempt to better reflect what is purchased by individual buyers. Some books are flagged with a dagger indicating that a significant number of bulk orders had been received by retail bookstores. The New York Times reported in 2013 that "we [generally do not] track
3002-605: The benefits of making The New York Times Best Seller list (speaking engagements, more book deals, and consulting) the authors felt that buying their own work was an investment that would pay for itself. The book climbed to No. 4 on the list where it sat for 15 weeks; it also peaked at No. 1 on the BusinessWeek best seller list. Since such lists hold the power of cumulative advantage , chart success often begets more chart success. Although such efforts are not illegal, publishers consider them unethical. In 1999, Amazon.com announced
3081-464: The best-selling status of titles to market the books and not just as a measure of sales, thus placing increased emphasis on the New York Times list for book readers and book sellers. The list is compiled by the editors of the "News Surveys" department, not by The New York Times Book Review department, where it is published. It is based on weekly sales reports obtained from selected samples of independent and chain bookstores and wholesalers throughout
3160-461: The biggest benefit from being on the list, while perennial best-selling authors, such as John Grisham or Danielle Steel , see no benefit of additional sales. A Touch of Dead#One Word Answer A Touch of Dead is a collection of short stories from Charlaine Harris 's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries . This title was released on October 6, 2009. This book only contains the short stories Harris has published in which Sookie Stackhouse
3239-450: The blood has been removed, and the individual chemistry of the drug user. In this universe, the effects of vampire blood on humans are feelings of power, increased strength, acute vision and hearing, increased sexual desire, and enhanced physical appearance. The results are notoriously unpredictable and vary per person, lasting from weeks to months. Some people go mad—even homicidal—when the blood hits their systems. Vampires hate drainers and
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3318-619: The body's former inhabitant. Though many vampires in this universe try to live among humans, they remain very secretive about their organization and government. The vampires divided the continental United States into four divisions (clans), each represented by a symbol: the Whale, the Feather, the Thunder Bolt, and the Eye. A division consists of multiple kingdoms, each controlled by a single lead vampire known as
3397-646: The early 1940s, fourteen city-lists were included. A national list was created on April 9, 1942, in the Sunday New York Times Book Review as a supplement to the Monday edition regular city lists. The national list was ranked according to how many times the book appeared in the city lists. Eventually the city lists were eliminated, leaving only the national ranking list, which was compiled according to "reports from leading booksellers in 22 cities". Ranking by bookseller sales figures continues today, although
3476-475: The emotions of different creatures that are portrayed in a creature's "brain signature". Vampires have a "hole" as their signature, so telepaths cannot read their minds. (However, Sookie occasionally picks up a few flashes of thought from vampires.) Were and shifter signatures portray emotions or colors. Demons' signatures are compared to a buzzing sound or like the "static in a radio station". Maenads' signatures are represented as an endless mystic chant. Fairies (and
3555-451: The essential spark are born to experience or perform something wonderful, something amazing." Although Adele had the essential spark Fintan did not want her to have the gift. When each Stackhouse child was born Cataliades came and inspected them to see if they had the gift. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries canon , a witch practices magic rituals, drawing from a power most people never tap into that can be focused for various effects through
3634-430: The fae world, named Faery , but there are portals and doorways between it and the human world. Sookie's great-grandfather Niall is a fairy prince, and Claudine and Claude are Niall's grandchildren. In later books, Claudine admits that she is Sookie's fairy godmother. She was assigned this role to move on to the next level, which is angelhood. Sookie's great-grandfather is over 1000 years old, and her half-human great-uncle
3713-541: The guilty party. "Dracula Night" is a short story and extension of The Southern Vampire Mysteries . Published in Many Bloody Returns . This story does not affect the storylines in the Southern Vampires novels. Eric's vampire bar, Fangtasia, throws a party each year for the vampire observance of Dracula Night, in honor of the infamous Count Dracula. According to legend, the Count will choose one lucky party from all over
3792-543: The idea that the New York Times doesn't like it?" The Post compared the list to best seller lists from Publishers Weekly looking for bias but could not find anything convincing. In February 2018, the Toronto Star published a story by books editor Deborah Dundas who found that the best-selling book 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson , who topped Publishers Weekly chart list, did not even chart on The New York Times bestsellers list, without reliable answers from
3871-400: The inconsistencies in the most recent reporting cycle, we decided that the sales for Handbook for Mortals did not meet our criteria for inclusion. We've issued an updated 'Young Adult Hardcover' list for September 3, 2017 which does not include that title." It was uncovered, by author Phil Stamper, that there had been unusual bulk ordering patterns which inflated the number of sales. The book
3950-614: The issue with Peterson's book, as well his The Rational Bible: Exodus , is their conservative context and the lack of inclusion is the American mainstream media's manipulation. The Times denied any bias. In 2019, the release of Donald Trump Jr. 's book Triggered was shown to have only reached the best-seller list through approximately $ 100,000 in behind-the-scenes bulk purchases meant to pump up its sales numbers illegitimately. Vanity Fair reported in October 2020 that this sort of gaming of
4029-512: The list due to either negligence or intentional falsehood, saying it should have been included due to high sales. The Times countered that the list was not mathematically objective but rather was an editorial product and thus protected under the Constitution as free speech. Blatty appealed it to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. Thus, the lower court ruling stood that the list
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#17330845724544108-586: The list is marked with a dagger symbol (†). Although the first best seller list in America was published in 1895, in The Bookman , a best seller list was not published in The New York Times until October 12, 1931, 36 years later, with little fanfare. It listed five fiction and four nonfiction books for New York City only. The next month, the list was expanded to eight cities, each with its own list. By
4187-418: The list weekly since October 12, 1931. In the 21st century, it has evolved into multiple lists, grouped by genre and format, including fiction and nonfiction, hardcover, paperback and electronic . The list is based on a proprietary method that uses sales figures, other data and internal guidelines that are unpublished—how the Times compiles the list is a trade secret . In 1983, during a legal case in which
4266-455: The list. In response, Cruz called the Times "a liar" and demanded an apology. The Times said it stood by its statement and evidence of manipulation. In August 2017, a young adult fiction book, Handbook for Mortals by previously unpublished author Lani Sarem was removed from the list, where it was in initially in the No. 1 spot. According to a statement issued by the Times , "after investigating
4345-416: The list. The Times responded that the political views of authors have no bearing on the list and noted conservative authors routinely rank highly on the list. The Associated Press noted the Times is a frequent target of conservatives and Republicans. The Washington Post called Regnery's ban a "stunt" designed to increase sales, "What better way to sell a book to a conservative audience than to promote
4424-481: The methodology on his blog; he posted: "If I could obtain bulk orders before Leapfrogging was released, ResultSource would purchase the books on my behalf using their tried-and-true formula. Three thousand books sold would get me on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Eleven thousand would secure a spot on the biggest prize of them all, The New York Times list." In 2014, the Los Angeles Times published
4503-623: The minds of humans ("glamor", often seen as a form of hypnosis ) by staring into a human's eyes and speaking in a soothing, trance-inducing voice. Vampires can induce complete or partial amnesia in a glamored human, and can compel them to do anything the vampire desires. A few vampires can even fly; others may have other powers and abilities. Vampires' fangs come out when they are hungry, see blood, are sexually aroused, or need to fight. All vampires are compelled to obey their makers. Harris' vampires do not age. They can survive and recover from most forms of physical injury, but they will die if stabbed by
4582-634: The minds of some human guests of her brother Claude, who is also a fairy. Later, at Claude and Claudine's home in Monroe, she finds three people tied up in the house. Everyone involved (except Claudine) is associated with Hooligans, an exotic dancing establishment. Claude, who dances, tells Sookie that they believe that one of the people murdered their triplet Claudette while she was working at the club earlier that night. Claude explains that Claudette came to her siblings in spirit form to tell them of her death. Using her telepathy, Sookie interviews each suspect to discover
4661-517: The most copies in one year followed by the biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson . The list has been criticized by authors, publishers, book industry executives, and others for not providing an accurate accounting of true best-seller status. These criticisms have been ongoing ever since the list originated. A book industry report in the 1940s found that best-seller lists were a poor indicator of sales, since they were based on misleading data and were only measuring fast sales. A 2004 report quoted
4740-480: The natural spirits... all some form of fairy." —Claudine Fairies are portrayed in the series as beautiful, with pointed ears and glossy, thin skin. Physically, fairies are superhumanly strong and durable. They are tough, ferocious, and incredibly long-lived, but not immortal. The Shreveport werewolf pack master says, "They love to flirt with disaster, they love to role-play." In this universe, fairies are extremely attractive to humans as well as to vampires. Vampires have
4819-526: The nonfiction lists for the two preceding weeks. In July 2000, the "Children's Best Sellers" was created after the Harry Potter series had stayed in the top spots on the fiction list for an extended period of time. The children's list was printed monthly until February 13, 2011, when it was changed to once an issue (weekly). In September 2007, the paperback fiction list was divided into "trade" and "mass-market" sections, in order to give more visibility to
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#17330845724544898-514: The period studied (August 6, 2008, to March 10, 2016), Dan Brown's book The Lost Symbol held the record with 3 million copies sold in one year followed by The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson and Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee which sold 1.6 million copies each. In nonfiction, more than half of the hardcover books that make the list are in the biography category. The autobiography of George W. Bush, Decision Points , sold
4977-410: The point where others are unable to differentiate between the two of them. Sookie appears to have inherited more magical fairy powers (such as immunity against mind spells from vampires and maenads), while Jason only has the power of attraction and seduction. However, most assume this is mainly due to his physical appearance. It is also stated in one of the books, by Mr. Cataliades, that Sookie's telepathy
5056-519: The power of telepathy. However, Cataliades revealed, that only the descendants who, like Sookie's grandmother Adele, had the essential spark would inherit the telepathy. When asked what the essential spark was, Cataliades responded, "It isn't easy to pin down in terms of your DNA. It's an openness to the other world. Some humans literally can't believe there are creatures in another world besides ours, creatures who have feelings and rights and beliefs and deserve to live their own lives. Humans who are born with
5135-417: The process has remained proprietary. By the 1950s, The Times ' s list had become the leading best-seller list for book professionals to monitor, along with that of Publishers Weekly . In the 1960s and 1970s, shopping-mall chain bookstores B. Dalton , Crown Books , and Waldenbooks came to the forefront with a business model of selling newly published best-sellers with mass-market appeal. They used
5214-411: The sales of classic literature," and thus, for example, new translations of Dante's Inferno would not be found on the bestseller list. The exact method for compiling the data obtained from the booksellers is classified as a trade secret . Book Review staff editor Gregory Cowles explained the method "is a secret both to protect our product and to make sure people can't try to rig the system. Even in
5293-493: The sample. The lists are divided among fiction and nonfiction , print and e-book, paperback and hardcover; each list contains 15 to 20 titles. The lists have been subdivided several times. "Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous" debuted as a list of five on January 1, 1984. It was created because advice best-sellers were sometimes crowding the general nonfiction list. Its inaugural number one bestseller, The Body Principal by Victoria Principal , had been number 10 and number 12 on
5372-507: The sixth Vampire Mysteries book, Definitely Dead . In "One Word Answer", the mysterious Mr. Cataliades shows up in a limousine at Sookie 's home bringing the news of her cousin Hadley's death. The rebellious Hadley had not been in touch with the family in years, so they did not know she had become a vampire several years ago. Nor did they know that she was the lover of the vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq . It seems that Waldo,
5451-423: The system has been a common practice among American conservative political figures, and has also included the use of political campaign funds to purchase the books in bulk in order to boost their rank on the list. A Stanford Business School analysis suggests that the "majority of book buyers seem to use the Times ' list as a signal of what's worth reading". The study concluded that lesser-known writers get
5530-416: The trade paperbacks that were more often reviewed by the newspaper itself. In November 2010, The New York Times announced it would be tracking e-book best-seller lists in fiction and nonfiction starting in early 2011. "RoyaltyShare, a San Diego–based company that tracks data and aggregates sales information for publishers, will ... provide [e-book] data". The two new e-book lists were first published with
5609-399: The two-natured community, the capitalized term "Were" is reserved only for those who can change into wolves. The Weres consider themselves superior to all others, but they all cooperate. Most of the two-natured beings organize themselves into packs; a packmaster leads each pack. Although vampires announced their existence to the world, the two-natured beings maintained their secrecy to observe
5688-514: The use of rituals and spells. A Wiccan , on the other hand, practices a pagan religion that follows the ways of the Mother. Practitioners can be both Wiccan and a witch, or more one or the other. Witches and Wiccans first appear in the fourth book, Dead to the World . Sookie's colleague and fellow barmaid at Merlotte's, Holly , is a Wiccan practitioner, but not a witch. In later books, Sookie learns more about witchcraft and befriends Amelia Broadway ,
5767-408: The users of the drained blood. A vial of blood can cost from $ 200 to $ 400, depending on the age of the vampire and the preference of the seller. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries , humans reactions to vampires are varied. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries universe, fairies "...are your basic supernatural being. From us come elves and brownies and angels and demons. Water sprites, green men, all
5846-480: The vampires' "Great Revelation" is mixed. The policy in Muslim countries is death and torture for vampires, while most African nations, Argentina , and Bosnia refuse to acknowledge vampires' existence. Some nations, such as France , Germany , and Italy , acknowledge vampires and do not torture them, but do not give them equal rights as citizens. Canada , Japan , Mexico , Scandinavian countries, Switzerland ,
5925-401: The vampires' results. In this series of mythology, the shifters decide to publicize their existence in the ninth book, Dead and Gone (2009). Demand for vampire blood has been growing on the black market , as the blood is very powerful and addictive. The strength of the blood depends on the age of the blood (the time since it has been removed from its owner), the age of the vampire from whom
6004-403: The vamps or leaving victims to die in the sun. The blood is then sold as a drug, in vials on the underground market. It can be highly addictive, but may cause psychotic or murderous rampages by human users upon first use; it is highly unpredictable who will be affected in this manner. In "One Word Answer" , a vampire's blood given to a dead body, in combination with magic words, raises the ghost of
6083-512: The weekly unit sales of all titles reported by book retailers as their general interest bestsellers. We will not comment beyond our methodology on the other questions." The New York Times did not alert its readers to this, unlike The Wall Street Journal, which admitted that books had landed on its bestseller list due to ResultSource's campaign. Soren Kaplan, the source who admitted he had paid ResultSource to land his book, Leapfrogging , on The Wall Street Journal ' s bestseller list, revealed
6162-553: The world to grace with his presence. The book characters are amused by Eric's childlike hope that the Count will appear at his party, just like Linus of the Peanuts comic hopes in vain to greet the Great Pumpkin . "One Word Answer" is a short story and extension of The Southern Vampire Mysteries . Published in Bite . It introduces the topic of Hadley's death, which kicks off the events in
6241-410: Was required to give them a gift. He had the power of telepathy and thought it a great gift to Fintan's family, as it would give them an edge over their fellow humans to know what other people were thinking and planning. Fintan and Adele drank Cataliades' blood (although Adele was tricked into it, as Cataliades mixed it with her wine), and from then on Fintan and Adele passed on to most of their descendants
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