6 Bestselling Poetry Books for July/August - 2023
Our bestsellers list has been published continuously since 1998. Learn More ▶
Fiction:
Voices of the Harlem Renaissance tops the fiction list due to the strength of sales at the Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair. The #2 book this period, Coleman Hill: A Biomythography by Kim Coleman Foote deserves special note because its publication date is September 5, 2023, but it has been a bestselling book since our March /April list!
Nonfiction:
In Spite of the Consequences: Prison Letters on Exoneration, Abolition, and Freedom by activist Latino Hamilton, who was wrongly jailed for 26 years because of a wrongful conviction, is the #1 fiction title this period. In our review, Robert Fleming favorably compares it to the work of George Jackson, Huey Newton, Angela Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X.
Children’s Books:
Jelani’s Key by D. Amari Jackson debuts at #1 on the strength of presales. Published by AALBC Books for Young Readers, we will have the book launch in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, September 9.
Poetry:
So to Speak, “a powerful, timely, dazzling new collection of poems from the National Book Award-winning author of Lighthead,” Terrance Hayes tops all poetry book sales this period.
View a printer-friendly version and a collage of the book covers. Also, check out links to more great books. Enjoy ♥
More About our Bestsellers List
You will learn about books selling well, in the Black community, that may never show up on lists published by corporate entities. Spread the word about our list; don’t let one or two lists, which we don’t control, determine which books are important.
We collect our bestselling titles from all our sales channels. The majority of our sales come from this website and our in-person events. We also include sales generated through our affiliate relationships, including Bookshop.org, Libro.fm (audiobooks), Black History 365 Education, and Amazon.com*.
We aggregate all formats of a book sold (print, ebook, and audio) into one format, usually the most popular print format
*For a few years, we actively boycotted Amazon but have discontinued this practice, as many of our authors have made their books exclusively available from Amazon. While we discourage giving Amazon the exclusive right to sell a book, we do not want this to be a reason to exclude an author from our site. Amazon also has an effective monopoly on eBooks and out-of-print books, which we highlight on this site.
Related Links
The Most Critically Acclaimed Books
Bestselling Books By Year May be Found Here
Our All-Time Bestselling Books May be Found Here