The New York Times began publishing its bestseller list in 1942. The list is printed in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is delivered on Sundays. It can also be found online via the newspaper's website. The list is not compiled by the editors of the New York Times Book Review department, but instead by the editors of the News Surveys department.
The exact formula used to determine the news rankings is kept private. The newspaper uses weekly sales reports from a sample of chain and independent bookstores, along with book wholesalers from around the country. The best-known lists are the hardcover fiction and nonfiction bestseller lists. However, the online version of the list also includes paperback trade fiction, paperback mass-market fiction, paperback nonfiction, paperback advice, children's books, and graphic books.
In July of 2000, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was the nation's best-selling book, yet it wasn't at the top of the New York Times hardcover fiction list. Instead, it was atop the first new bestseller list created by the newspaper in 16 years: the children's book list. There was speculation many publishers pushed for a new list because of the stranglehold the popular Potter books held at the top of the lists.