Author and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk’s self-help book Twelve and a Half (Harper Business), released on November 30, has sold nearly a half million hardcovers during its first week on sale, according to NPD BookScan. But no media company or outlet—not The New York Times and not even NPD BookScan itself—has put the book on a public bestseller list. That’s because Vaynerchuck ran an unusual pre-order campaign that offered his fans a free NFT with a purchase of 12 copies of the book. Vaynerchuk’s NFTs are currently valued in the five and six figures, so unsurprisingly individuals eagerly bought hundreds of dollars worth of books to acquire the NFTs. Such sales and marketing tactics can disqualify a book from appearing on bestseller lists. During the week of Vaynerchuk’s release, NPD BookScan listed the top seller as Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, which sold about 153,000 copies.
At Publishers Lunch, Erin Somers writes (subscription required), “The success of the campaign raises larger questions likely to come up again about how to ‘count’ book sales that are linked to NFTs and similar promotions. … No one has spoken to the potential waste of resources involved. Leaving aside any sustainability issues related to NFTs and the blockchain, printing and paper in the tightest market anyone has seen are precious resources on their own.” The Wall Street Journal reported that Harper delayed the release by two weeks to meet demand, which of course meant delaying or not printing other books.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
