Weekly E-Ranking: James' The Mister spanks the competition

E L James' The Mister held firm for another week, claiming the E-Book Ranking top spot in the same seven-day period her first non-Christian Grey title also earned a second consecutive Mass Market Fiction number one. 

The Bookseller Weekly E-Ranking launched in spring 2016, so the bulk of the data misses out on the height of 50 Shades mania. James has therefore "only" charted 12 times in the neary three years of the ranking, but six of those were at the top spot with Grey holding onto number for four consecutive weeks in December 2017. 

The top new title is Jodi Taylor’s Hope for the Best, the 10th book in her Chronicles of St Mary’s series featuring a group of “tea-soaked disaster magnet” time-travelling historians. It is Taylor's first book with Headline after the auithor's previous publisher, Welsh indie Accent Press, sold three frontlist titles and her backlist to the Hachette company (this Taylor deal, incidentally, was concluded in late 2018, preceding this March's agreement for Headline to take on Accent's production, sales, rights and distribution).

Another first-time title is Antonio Iturbe’s The Librarian of Auschwitz, which claims 14th place in its fourth week on sale. While Ebury publishing the book may seem a slightly opportunistic cashing in on Heather Morris mania, it is worth noting that Iturbe’s novelisation of Holocaust survivor Dita Kraus’ incredible story predates Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz, having been originally published in 2012 in Iturbe’s native Spain. Morris this week celebrated her 56th non-consecutive week in the E-Ranking, all but one of which has been in the Top 10.