A heavily annotated reissue of Adolf Hitler's political manifesto Mein Kampf is set to make its debut on the German bestseller list this weekend. It will be the first time that a critical edition of the Nazi book has been available to readers.
The reissue has also been ranked number 20 in
Der Spiegel's non-fiction bestseller chart, a position that it will remain in for the next two weeks. The new 2,000-page critical edition of the book is published by the Institute fur Zeitgeschichte and features half of the text edited with annotations from scholars.
In the past, a large number of titles have made it to the top of Germany's bestseller lists and have become instant classics among readers. In many cases, the books are based on research by academics.
It is a well-known phenomenon that bestselling (or brand-name) authors can often sell more copies of their book than non-bestselling (or less-known) authors. This can be attributed to the so-called "star power" effect, which is an indirect influence on consumer demand.
This is especially true for books that have already gained a lot of publicity and have thus generated strong word-of-mouth effects. In addition, a title's status as a bestseller author is a good signal for consumers that the book is of high quality.
Another example is Dirk Rossmann, the managing director of a large German drugstore chain who managed to get his eco-thriller Der neunte Arm des Oktopus on the Spiegel bestseller list in October 2018. The book, which has been selling in huge numbers since it was released, was the result of a massive advertising and media effort by Rossmann's company around its release.
Even if Rossmann is not classified as a real celebrity, the fact that he has a bestselling (or brand-name) status resulting from his previous commercial success will have boosted sales of Der neunte Arm des Oktopus by reducing the uncertainty about the book's quality for consumers.
According to a study by the German book trade paper Buchreport, Rossmann's sales figures were probably increased by a combination of factors including the high visibility and attention in the press at the time of its release. In addition, the 'Spiegel bestselling author' label might have acted as a quality signal that led consumers to buy the book at higher prices.
There are a few ways in which books can reach the top of the German bestseller list: They can be purchased directly by customers. This is mainly the case for books published by big publishing houses.
Mein Kampf to Reach Top 20 of Der Spiegel Bestseller 2023
