Ayn Rand’s novels continue to sell well, in both hardcover and paperback editions, many years after their original publication. This is well-known. But have you ever wondered what the actual figures are?
BookMagazine.com published a table summarizing the sales figures of the top 50 classic bestsellers (books that continue to sell well more than 5 years after their publication) for the year 2002.
Ayn Rand is one of the few authors with more than one book on this list. Here are the sales figures for her two most popular novels, from January through December of 2002:
Atlas Shrugged – 130,000 copies (#19 on the list)
The Fountainhead – 81,000 copies (#35 on the list)
These figures include chain booksellers and online outlets, representing approximately 70% of the bookselling market in the United States, but do not include campus or high school bookstores (which could add a substantial number of sales).
See the full list for additional details and the titles of the other top 50 classic bestsellers.