Books that have been out for a while but are still in print and generating sales, often forming the financial backbone of both publishers and authors.
A publisher's backlist is their catalog of older titles that remain in print and continue to sell, as opposed to new releases (the frontlist). Backlist books have already had their big launch moment, but they keep moving copies through word of mouth, school curricula, reader recommendations, and the simple fact that good books find new audiences year after year. For many publishers, backlist sales account for the majority of their revenue. For authors, a strong backlist means income that compounds over a career rather than spiking and vanishing with each new release.
If you are building a writing career, the backlist is where long-term income lives. Each new book you publish does not just earn on its own. It also drives readers back to your earlier work. This is why experienced authors talk about "building a backlist" as a career strategy. A single book is a lottery ticket. Five books in print that steadily sell a few copies a week is a livelihood.
Published in 1960, Lee's only novel (for decades) sold steadily for over half a century through school reading lists and cultural staying power. The ultimate backlist title.
Despite the long wait for the third book, Rothfuss's first two novels have continued to sell strongly on the backlist through ongoing fantasy reader recommendations.
Published in 2012, this novel experienced a massive backlist surge nearly a decade later when BookTok discovered it, proving that social media can resurrect backlist sales in dramatic fashion.
Browse the bibliography of an author you admire and identify their backlist titles (anything published more than two years ago). Check their sales rankings on Amazon or a similar platform. Notice which older books are still selling well and try to figure out why. Is it a series effect? A social media resurgence? School assignments? Understanding what keeps a backlist alive will shape how you think about your own catalog.