The New York Times Best Sellers List Novels & Stories

at number three on the paperback fiction list, with a small star indicating it was a new entry. "Jake, is this real?" Emma whispered, staring at her name on the most prestigious bestseller list in publishing. Jake pulled Emma up from her chair and spun her around their shared office space. "It's completely real, Emma. Your book debuted at number three on the Times list. You're officially a New York Times bestselling author." Emma felt tears of joy and disbelief as the reality of her achievement sank in. "Jake, I can't believe this is happening. Six months ago, I was worried that people would question whether my success was legitimate, and now I'm on the Times bestseller list."

He wasn’t sure what he was going to watch since he didn’t watch TV that often. **** Beverly was at The N.Y. offices catching up on her email. The N.Y. was a two-year-old news website that put out a hard copy magazine every month. Some people called it a gossip rag. Whatever it was The N.Y. was the most popular online site in New York. The N.Y. was popular for not holding punches and printing anything about anybody newsworthy. Beverly had just made full-time employment. The pay was better than being a temp all over the city, but she still had to watch her pennies. New York was not a cheap city to live in.

I slapped my hand over my mouth but it was too late, the scream was already out there in the world, bouncing off the thin walls of my tiny apartment. Number one. My book was number one. The top of the New York Times bestseller list. The little gold icon next to the title, the one that meant I had beaten everyone else, every other writer in the whole country, and was sitting at the very top like a queen on a throne made of paper and ink.

I didn’t want to believe it. “Your book, March Madness.” She clarified, her voice never loosing that edge of excitement. I understood her excitement. My book suddenly making it big was like Christmas to her, it meant that she was about to line her pockets with some serious cash. And so was I. “It’s just become an overnight sensation. Six thousand copies were bought and now it’s on the New York bestseller list. Not on the top three, but I believe it could actually get there.” “Oh.” I said stupidly.