Last summer, we introduced Green Apple's 1,000 copy club: books that have sold over 1,000 new copies since our computer became able to track perpetual sales (somewhere around 1999). We sort of, um, forgot about that nascent series, but it's back at last.Coming in just 140 copies behind our all-time best-seller--You Can't Win by Jack Black--is Brenda Ueland's If You Want to Write (@2329 as of today).
Clearly Green Apple customers do want to write.
If You Want to Write is one of those inspirational writing books that transcends writing, i.e. it inspires all to art, independence, and truthfulness. First published in 1938, it has clearly stood the test of time.
In part, sales of these two books stem from their placement on our Staff Favorites display and the shelf-talkers our booksellers wrote for these books. But there must be something else--other books sell for a while then die down, while these 1,000 copy club members just keep right on moving. . . .but why are our two best-sellers both from small presses? Why are both bestsellers over 70 years old? Hmm. . . .
If you need something to read (or want to write), take the tacit advice of almost 5,000 Green Apple customers over the last ten years, and try You Can't Win or If You Want to Write.