Netflix is always on the hunt for new ideas that would make compelling TV shows. And a tried and true way to find a new TV show or movie idea has always been adapting books. Netflix’s approach to this has spawned a number of popular series recently most notably the star vehicle that we all know as the NSFW Bridgeton.
The adaptations are having a noticeable effect on the bestseller’s lists. Not surprisingly when people find out that a show is based on a book interest in the original title heats up. So it should not be a shock to find out that a number of books have shot to #1 on the New York Times best-seller list after the show takes off. In fact, this probably directly helps one of Netflix’s competitors in the streaming space, Amazon, which of course started in the first place as an online book store.
Led by Bridgerton, half of the Top 10 titles on The New York Times Best Sellers list this month are books tied to Netflix series, and they’re not alone in having a literary revival:
- As it became Netflix’s biggest series, the popularity of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels ballooned – at one point five books from the series were on the New York Times Best Sellers list, with The Duke and I holding steady at #1 for four weeks.
- Kristin Hannah’s Firefly Lane first appeared on the Top 10 list a month ahead of the show’s release as interest in the series grew. The book hit #1 just three days after its Netflix premiere, and 13 years after its first publication.
- Three weeks after the Netflix limited series premiered, Walter Tevis’ The Queen’s Gambit appeared on the list for the first time since it was published 37 years ago; and went on to stay in the Top 10 for 11 weeks.
- After Lupin premiered, Maurice Leblanc’s original book (written in 1907!) began trending in several countries such as Italy, Spain, the US, the UK and Korea, with sales reaching the equivalent of one year’s worth in just 15 days. Ten days post-premiere, the book ranked in the Top 5 bestsellers on Amazon and Fnac.
There is a lot to come from Netflix on this front. Here is a listing of upcoming features based on books.
- Jennifer Mathieu’s Moxie — premiering March 3
- Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s YES DAY — premiering March 12
- Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone — premiering April 23
- Things Heard & Seen based on Elizabeth Brundage’s All Things Cease to Appear — premiering April 30
- A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window — coming soon
- Maurice Leblanc’s Lupin — Part 2 is on its way this summer
- R.L. Stine’s Fear Street Trilogy — coming to scare this summer
- Jojo Moyes’ The Last Letter From Your Lover — coming soon
- Beth Reekles’ The Kissing Booth 3 — coming soon
- Caroline Kepnes’ YOU — Season 3 is coming soon
- Robyn Carr’s Virgin River — Season 3 is coming soon
- Sherryl Woods’ Sweet Magnolias — Season 2 is coming soon
- Concrete Cowboy, based on Gregory Neri’s Ghetto Cowboy — coming soon
- J.A. White’s Nightbooks — coming soon
- Stephanie Land’s Maid — coming soon
