How Did The New York Times Select Its Best Books Of 2015 List?

The “New York Times Book Review” editorial process for annual picks always interests me. How do critics decide, and are diverse genres fairly represented in their 2015 compilation?
2026-08-05 09:28:18
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9 Answers

CodyRice
CodyRice
Story Finder Accountant
The secret ingredient is time. The editors have read these books months apart. Part of the process, I suspect, involves re-reading key passages or at least refreshing their memory to see which ones still resonate after the initial hype has faded. A book that felt urgent in March might feel slight in November.

That re-evaluation period is crucial. It's why the list comes out in late November or December—they're giving themselves time for second thoughts and to see which books have staying power within their own minds. The 'best' book is often the one they can't stop thinking about, even after reading fifty others.
2026-08-07 10:33:37
3
KenRowe
KenRowe
Sharp Observer Analyst
The ghost of previous lists hangs over the process. They don't want to repeat themselves. If last year's list was heavy on historical fiction, they might lean into contemporary this year. They're also looking for what feels new and of-the-moment.

In 2015, the cultural conversation was heavily focused on racial justice and identity. The list reflects that directly with Coates and Beatty. Part of the process is reading the cultural zeitgeist and choosing books that speak directly to it, giving the list a feeling of relevance and timeliness.
2026-08-07 18:15:54
7
BookTales
BookTales
Story Interpreter Police Officer
They have to consider the practical reality of their readers. People use this list for holiday gifts. So the list can't be too obscure or difficult. It needs a mix of recognizable names and exciting new discoveries. That's a hidden criterion.

'Give this to your dad' books and 'impress your book club' books. The 2015 list has both. 'Between the World and Me' was the important, impressive pick. 'A Spool of Blue Thread' by Anne Tyler was the reliable, giftable author. The process involves mapping the list onto the different ways readers will actually use it.
2026-08-08 00:56:25
2
GeorgeFox
GeorgeFox
Story Interpreter HR Specialist
Compared to 'best of' lists from dedicated book communities, the NYT's method seems cold. There's no sense of personal passion or hidden gem advocacy. It reads like a state-of-the-literature address, which is useful but not exactly fun.
2026-08-09 06:33:09
3
WesKent
WesKent
Careful Explainer Chef
It's not a popularity contest, but sales and buzz create a gravitational pull. A book that's already a phenomenon is harder to ignore, even if the critics have reservations. Omitting something like 'The Girl on the Train' would have raised more eyebrows than including it, maybe.
2026-08-09 13:18:45
2
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Imagine the relief when it's over. The list is published, the tweets go out, the articles are written. The editors probably take a day off, exhausted. Then the cycle starts again in January with the first advance readers copies of the next year. The 'how' is a marathon, not a sprint. It's a year-long process of reading, discussing, and filtering that culminates in a few intense weeks of decision-making. The published list is the tip of a massive iceberg of labor, passion, and inevitable disagreement. It's a testament to the messy, wonderful, subjective human love of stories.

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It's not just one list, either. They have '100 Notable Books' first, then whittle it down to the top 10. The notable list is itself a curated selection from thousands. So the process is two-tiered: first, inclusion in the notable list (a huge honor), then the fierce competition for the final cut. Being on the longlist means you've been seriously considered by their entire books team. The final ten are the ones that survived the brutal comparative debates.

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Sometimes a book will get a 'Staff Pick' tag from the Times' own critics, and then later hit the bestseller list. While there's supposedly a firewall, the correlation is interesting. The cultural buzz generated by a positive review in the Times can directly drive the sales that lead to list qualification. It's not a direct selection by the same people, but it's a powerful indirect path. Critical acclaim from the institution can fuel the commercial success that the institution's list measures. It shows how different arms of the same media company can influence each other, even with policies in place to prevent collusion.

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16 Answers2026-08-05 19:17:47
Meh. Another year, another list. I'm sure they have their methods. I'm more interested in the long-tail recommendations from niche forums or genre-specific awards. The Times process seems designed to create a mainstream literary event, which is fine, but it's not where I discover my favorite reads anymore. The internet has democratized taste-making, and I find the crowd-sourced wisdom of fellow readers more reliable than a closed-door committee.

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13 Answers2026-08-05 15:30:43
What even counts as 'ever'? That's the first problem. Are they judging by literary innovation, cultural impact, or pure storytelling? The Times' critics likely have a bias toward certain styles—often dense, realist, 'important' fiction. You'll see far fewer genre titles or works from non-Western traditions unless they've been thoroughly sanctioned by the literary establishment. The selection pool starts with what they've chosen to review, which already filters out vast swathes of publishing. So the mechanism is a panel, but the input is pre-curated. It's a feedback loop of taste. They're brilliant critics, no doubt, but their 'best ever' is a reflection of a specific, insular world. I find more interesting recommendations in niche forums or from translators who are actually digging globally. The Times list is a useful benchmark, but it's just one map of a much larger territory.

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As an aspiring writer, the list is a goalpost. It represents a certain pinnacle of recognition from the literary establishment. You study the books that make it, trying to understand the alchemy of style, theme, and timing. It's maddening because there's no formula, but it sets a standard of ambition to strive for, even if your own voice is completely different.

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16 Answers2026-08-05 05:04:57
The 'big book' of the season is a real concept. Every publishing season, houses pick one or two titles to throw their full weight behind. That book gets the biggest marketing budget, the biggest author tour, the most ARCs. It's engineered for the list. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but the attempt itself shapes the landscape.
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