Boing Boing jumping to conclusions? Lifespan of best-sellers falls 6/7ths in 40 years

Boing Boing: Lifespan of best-sellers falls 6/7ths in 40 years
Print-on-demand publisher Lulu.com has done a study on the lifespan of best-sellers and concluded that the number of weeks a book stays on the bestseller list has fallen to one-seventh of the average 40 years ago. This means that more books are becoming best-sellers, but that best-sellerdom means less in terms of revenue expectations. It’s a pretty long-tail-ish conclusion: success is a lot more niche and small-s than it was back in the heyday of blockbusters.

But wait a minute. Does that sound right? This analysis is based solely on weeks on the best seller list, not unit sales. Color me skeptical.

Related posts:

1. [What's New for Book-Lovers] Sudoku books six of top 10 UK best-sellers …
2. Time Inc. Pathfinder Finds the Path, 12 Years Too Late
3. ‘Da Vinci Code’ Losing Best-Seller Status – New York Times
4. Sudoku books six of top 10 UK best-sellers …
5. Boing-boing’s Fireproof Hobbit Home in the Woods