midlist — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Unlikely to be more than modestly successful.

   Usage

   • not-comparable
   • of a book or author

   Examples

   He scoffs at the lesser-known, midlist and emerging authors […].

2. Expected to achieve sales performance that blends frontlist performance with backlist performance, being neither a bestseller when new nor a perennial backlist performer but strong enough in each of those categories to be successful overall.

   Usage

   • attributive
   • not-comparable
   • of books being planned

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   The celebrity tell-all has been proposed as a frontlist title, whereas the cookbook has been proposed as a backlist title and the food history book as a midlist title.