Today the Open eBook Forum released the first industry-wide eBook bestseller list, a major step in gaining legitimacy in the book publishing world. Best seller lists are important to authors and their agents, particularly for their PR value, which translates into higher book sales and income opportunities. It is no coincidence that Amazon and USA Today have their own best seller lists, to compete with the venerable New York Times bestseller list. Kudos to the Open eBook Forum for this major effort.

The best seller list confirms that observation that people are reading the same titles in electronic form as in print form. The top best seller is The Da Vinci Code, followed by Angels and Demons, no surprise! The top 7 ebook titles are also top print titles for USA Today. Against All Enemies (#8) is a very interesting case of a hot book, sold out of many book stores, which is gaining incremental sales as a readily available ebook. Three other best sellers highlight the advantage of the electronic media: the Bible, Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus. Much easier to carry electronically! Noticeably missing--the computer books that many (including me) assumed would have a heavy presence in the ebook market. Refreshing news, ebook readers have the same profile as general readers, further evidence this format is going mainstream!

Related premium report on The eBooks MarketPlace: A New Evaluation is available.