The BookScan rankings have previously represented sales at Barnes & Noble and other book chains, independent bookshops, and online purchases — but not sales at comic book stores, Amazon, Walmart.com, and some other venues.
Diamond Comics also provides estimated data on comic book store sales monthly, but it tracks sales to comic book stores, not sell-through numbers to customers.
Kristen McLean — NPD Book executive director, business development — revealed in an interview posted on the ICv2 news website on Friday that BookScan plans to include data from comic book stores in partnership with Diamond Comics and indie retailers “in the coming year.”
ICv2 posts a list of top 20 adult fiction graphic novels each month provided by BookScan, and the lists frequently include several manga volumes.