midlist

[mid-list]

noun

1. the part of a publisher's sales list of newly or recently published books consisting of titles that are expected to have average sales or success, as compared to the frontlist.

Word History and Origins

Origin of midlist¹

First recorded in 1980–85; mid- ( def. ) + list ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

While major blockbusters will continue to be translated, publishers say, books by midlist authors may not be.

Read more on New York Times

“My sense it that he wrote that as a valentine to northern New Mexico. … He really became embedded in Taos and Chama and all the towns in northern New Mexico,” said Stephen Hull, director of the University of New Mexico Press, which last year published Nichols’ memoir under the self-deprecating title, “I Got Mine: Confessions of a Midlist Writer.”

Read more on Seattle Times

“I went from a midlist comic book author with one title out to being a person making national headlines,” Kobabe said.

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Some in the industry worry that there are dwindling opportunities for new writers and that debut and midlist authors may get passed over.

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Some industry analysts say the sale will accelerate a long-running trend that has taken hold over the past decade, as publishers have grown more dependent on blockbuster titles and backlist sales, resulting in fewer opportunities for new writers and midlist authors.

Read more on Seattle Times