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Over 800 hardback titles are released on the same day (1st of October) in the UK as publishers fight for a place in the Christmas bestseller lists. Bookmakers are now offering odds on the rivals for the number one slot this year.

Book makers are now starting to see the run into Christmas in a very similar way to the music Charts and, when you examine the facts, it’s not hard to see why the Christmas run in is a crucial time for the book industry.

Nielsen BookScan figures, show that one fifth of book sales (by value) are made in the December period. Last year saw over 1,000 hardback books released in the same period, with a further 2,000 paperbacks, audio books and ebooks being released as well.

The significant differences between the recording industry and the book industry is that books have a lot longer run in, with the key launch date for books being October 1st. Which would see the vast majority of music, on it way out of the chart by Christmas if they decided upon such an early release date? The reasons for this discrepancy are that books both have much a longer lifespan, and also that books rely much more upon word of mouth and personal recommendations to generate sales. A later release such as the 1st of November would see books risking not being able to generate the required momentum before the key sales period.

With three times more than the usual number of books coming out this week, publishers face the challenge of getting their products noticed. With limited promotional space available, its is only the best known books from the post popular authors which are going to get the promotional boost they require.

Carole Tomkinson, from HarperCollins is quotes as saying “If you get in the top five slot the retailers give you twice as much space, they push the book, they put it in their ads. “Our retailers really support the books that are the most successful, and success multiplies success.”

So who is likely to be the best selling book this year? Fiction titles from Cecelia Ahern, Bernard Cornwell, Stieg Larsson and Audrey Niffenegger (author of The Time Traveler’s Wife) are expected to do well. Some books have been release before “Super Thursday”, Dan Browns Lost symbol was sold last month and did extremely well break records in its first 36 hours.

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