From Kathy L. Patrick on March 3, 2009 at 8:06 am.  

Publishers ask me all the time if my Beauty and the Book is a bestseller list reporting store. I am not a reporting store but I do sell sometimes a ton of books. I found out in order for you to be a reporting store you must have a computerized inventory system of which I cannot afford, being a small independent. So think about who does have the computerized inventory systems, large independents and large box stores so all of us little independent bookstores are left out of the mix.
Also I have an author friend who has personally sold, over 200,000 copies of his book. When I asked him why he was not on the bestseller lists, he told me that he sold them himself so that doesn't count. As an author too, I sell my books in my store and have sold a ton, but that doesn't count either. The bestseller lists are geared towards those who already have big numbers in sales. How anybody outside of the box, makes it is still a mystery to me.
Tiara wearing and book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
Founder of The Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs and Bookstore Owner and Author
Beauty and the Book
608 North Polk Street
Jefferson, Texas 75657
www.beautyandthebook.com
www.pulpwoodqueen.com