Death and the Mass-Markets

The New York Times Book Review’s TBR: Inside the List notes this week that they received a number of reader comments relating to their Nov. 9 best seller list for mass-market paperback fiction. Many were wondering why 40% of the list was made up of ‘dead” books.

The answer: Charlaine Harris

7 of the 8 “dead” books come from Harris’s southern vampire series featuring Sookie Stackhouse, a “telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures.”

Here is the list:

3. DEAD UNTIL DARK, by Charlaine Harris.
7. LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS, by Charlaine Harris
10. CLUB DEAD, by Charlaine Harris.
12. DEAD TO THE WORLD, by Charlaine Harris.
14. DEAD AS A DOORNAIL, by Charlaine Harris
15. BOOK OF THE DEAD, by Patricia Cornwell
17. DEFINITELY DEAD, by Charlaine Harris
18. ALL TOGETHER DEAD, by Charlaine Harris

It would be interesting to know what other authors, if any, have held 7 of the top 20 spots in one week on any of the NYT best seller lists? And if there is one, what’s the chance the same word appears in each title?