midlist
1
7.8
- noun
- /ˈmɪdˌlɪst/
- Jargon
- Midlist authors have been screwed by Big Publishing for at least a decade now, and publishing is completely broken.
- midlist authors
- midlist book
- midlist writers
Examples
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The midlist, like the middle class, is the redheaded stepchild of publishing.
Blog text (5) -
I'm a midlist author, and I routinely find sites where my book has been downloaded tens of thousands of times.
Blog text (28) -
Most people do that only now and again, but midlist authors do it for life.
Academic text (2008) -
Publishers have few dollars to promote midlist novels or their sequels.
Academic text (2010) -
I have seen many midlist authors' lives devastated by the wanton lack of disregard by their publishers.
Blog text (5) -
Many midlist authors have been dropped, and many reliably selling books have been remaindered in order to feed Moloch.
Blog text (28) -
The long tail model of ebooks means there will be more niches and a vast midlist, but there are also going to be plenty of books that never sell more than 12 copies.
Blog text (20) -
After six months, I found myself in the predicament of many other midlist authors—marooned!
Blog text (22) -
A few steady earners, even though the annual earnings are in what is now dismissively called "the midlist," can keep publishers in business for years and even allow them to take a risk or two on new authors.
Blog text (28) -
Many midlist authors struggle to gain recognition despite their steady sales.
Antonyms
How Successful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Midlist comes from mid 'middle' and list 'a line of books a publisher sells'. A midlist is a book or author that brings steady, moderate sales rather than being a bestseller.