The Backlist Blindspot
- griffindaly
- Sep 17
- 5 min read
Introduction: The Backlist Blindspot
At the 2025 edition of Forum Edita in Barcelona, a striking statistic was shared: 75% of turnover in the book market comes from backlist titles. That means the vast majority of revenue in publishing isn’t driven by flashy new releases or bestseller debuts—it’s generated by books that have been on the shelves for more than a year.
This figure is both impressive and revealing. It highlights the enduring power of books to generate value long after their initial launch. But it also exposes a blindspot in how we measure and understand that value.
In publishing, the term backlist refers to titles that are no longer part of a publisher’s current marketing push—typically books published more than a year ago. These titles often live quieter lives, sustained by word-of-mouth, classroom syllabi, library circulation, and the steady hands of booksellers who know their communities. Currently the concept of a backlist only includes new book sales.
What’s missing from this picture is the vast and vibrant used book market. Every secondhand copy sold—whether through local stores, online platforms, or charity shops—is a signal of continued interest, cultural relevance, and reader demand. But these sales are invisible to publishers and authors. They don’t show up in royalty statements or performance dashboards. And that’s a problem.
This blog post explores the implications of this blindspot. What happens when we expand our definition of backlist performance to include the used market? Who benefits—and who loses out—when we ignore it? And how can we build a more inclusive book economy that recognizes the full lifecycle of a title?
II. What Is a Backlist?
In publishing, a backlist refers to books that have been available for more than a year—titles that have moved beyond their initial launch phase but continue to circulate and sell. These titles have moved beyond their initial promotional cycle—no longer spotlighted in front-of-store displays or publisher campaigns—but remain available through bookstores, online platforms, and libraries.
Backlist titles are distinct from frontlist books, which are new releases actively marketed by publishers. While frontlist titles often receive the bulk of attention—book tours, media coverage, launch events—it’s the backlist that sustains long-term revenue. These are the books that readers return to, recommend, teach, and gift. They include everything from literary classics and perennial bestsellers to niche nonfiction and beloved children’s books.
For publishers and authors, the backlist is a critical asset. It represents a catalog of proven performers—books that have already found their audience and continue to sell steadily over time. As shown in the presentation above, this asset represents 75% of revenue in the Spanish market currently.
Yet despite its importance, backlist performance is often measured narrowly. Sales data focuses on new copies sold through traditional retail channels. This leaves out a significant portion of a book’s lifecycle—especially once it enters the used market. Here, a book’s visibility and cultural relevance may continue to grow, even as its official sales decline and its connection to the publisher ends.
Understanding what a backlist is—and how it functions—is the first step toward recognizing the blindspot in how we track, value, and support books throughout their full lifecycle. The backlist is a measure representing old ideas of how sales can be tracked. It is time fort the definition to be updated.
III. The Power of the Backlist
If the frontlist is the spark, the backlist is the slow-burning fire that keeps the publishing industry warm. While new releases often dominate headlines and bookstore windows, it’s the backlist that quietly sustains the business over time.
Backlist titles are resilient—selling steadily long after launch, often with little to no marketing support. Some books even grow in popularity years after publication—thanks to cultural moments, academic adoption, or grassroots word-of-mouth. Think of titles like The Little Prince, Sapiens, or The Alchemist. These books weren’t overnight sensations, but they’ve become perennial sellers, passed from reader to reader across generations.
For publishers, backlist performance is a stabilizing force. Unlike frontlist titles, which are unpredictable and often expensive to launch, backlist books have already proven their value. They require less investment and often deliver consistent returns. In fact, many publishers rely on strong backlist sales to offset the risks of new acquisitions.
For authors, backlist sales can be a vital source of ongoing royalties—but only if those sales are tracked and reported. A significant portion of backlist activity happens outside traditional sales channels—especially in the used book market—making it invisible to both publishers and authors. This blindspot limits recognition, royalties, and reprint potential. If we expand the definition of what a backlist can be, we can ensure that writers benefit from their work long past the first sale.
The power of the backlist lies not just in its revenue potential, but in its cultural footprint. These are the books that shape conversations, build communities, and define eras. They are the foundation of a healthy literary ecosystem—and yet, our current metrics only capture a fraction of their true impact.
IV. The Invisible Market: Used Book Sales
If backlist titles are the quiet backbone of publishing, then the used book market is its shadow economy—vast, active, and largely invisible to those who create and publish books.
Every day, tens of thousands of used books change hands—through secondhand bookstores, charity shops, online platforms, and peer-to-peer marketplaces across the globe. These transactions reflect real reader interest. They signal cultural relevance, educational value, and emotional connection. But they don’t show up in publisher sales reports. They don’t generate royalties for authors. And they don’t inform decisions about reprints, marketing, or future acquisitions.
This disconnect creates a blindspot. A book may be thriving in the used market while appearing dormant in official sales data. For publishers, this means missed opportunities to recognize and reinvest in titles with enduring appeal. For authors, it means a loss of visibility, missed opportunities for renewed engagement, and no share in the value their work continues to generate.
From the perspective of a social enterprise like Author Advantage, this is more than a data problem—it’s a fairness issue. If we want to build a book economy that values authors and bookstores, we need to acknowledge the full lifecycle of a book, including its secondhand journey.
Used book sales are not a footnote to publishing—they are a force. Yet they remain untracked, uncredited, and undervalued in the systems that shape author and publisher decisions.
V. Expanding the Definition of Backlist Performance
If we accept that backlist titles are the foundation of publishing revenue, then we must also accept that our current methods of measuring their performance are incomplete. The traditional metrics—new copies sold through retail channels—offer only a partial view of a book’s lifecycle. They miss the secondhand journey, the continued circulation, and the cultural relevance that lives on in the used market.
To truly understand backlist performance, we need to expand our definition. This means recognizing that every used book sold is a data point. It’s evidence of demand, of reader engagement, of a book’s lasting value. It’s also a signal that the title still matters—whether it’s being read for the first time, passed along to a friend, or rediscovered years later.
Imagine if publishers had access to this data. They could identify which titles are thriving in the used market and consider reprints, updated editions, or renewed marketing efforts. Authors could gain visibility into how their work continues to resonate, even outside the bounds of traditional sales. Booksellers could be recognized not just as retailers, but as stewards of literary culture—keeping important titles in circulation long after their launch.
This expanded view of backlist performance wouldn’t just benefit individual stakeholders—it would reshape our understanding of value creation in publishing. It would acknowledge the full lifecycle of a book, from launch to legacy. And it would help build a more equitable system, where authors are valued not just for their debut, but for the enduring impact of their work.
