Books: Bestsellers

Want to write a bestseller? A glance at this week's fiction list should, in theory, show you exactly how to do it: forget highbrow literary endeavour, just recount the activities of a thirtyish female in search of Mr Right. But beware, the sole new entry in the top ten neatly reverses this principle. Prue Leith's heroine already owns a Mr Right, but has chucked him for a fling with a dashing foreigner. Can the fictional tide be turning...?

Compiled on sales over seven days to 28 August.

Bookwatch Ltd, 1999

SPORT

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER WEEKLY PRICE

SALES

1 Managing My Life Alex Ferguson (Hodder) 13,928 pounds 18.99

2 Addicted Tony Adams & Ian Ridley (CollinsWillow) 3,083 pounds 6.99

2 Rothman's Football Yearbook ed G & J Rollin (Headline) 1,463 pounds 18.99

4 NoW Football Annual ed Eric Brown (CollinsWillow) 1,053 pounds 5.99

5 Playfair Football Annual ed G & J Rollin (Headline) 464 pounds 4.99

6 One Jump Ahead Mark Howard (Mark Howard) 427 pounds 4.99

7 Fever Pitch Nick Hornby (Indigo) 424 pounds 6.99

8 Graham Henry: supercoach Bob Howitt (Lennard/QA) 351 pounds 16.99

9 My Autobiography Bobby Robson & Bob Harris (Pan) 341 pounds 6.99

10 Man United Ruined My Life Colin Shindler (Headline) 306 pounds 5.99

ORIGINAL NON-FICTION

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER WEEKLY PRICE

SALES

1 Managing My Life Alex Ferguson (Hodder) 13,928 pounds 18.99

2 Driving Over Lemons Chris Stewart (Sort of Books) 3,650 pounds 6.99

3 Traditional Farmhouse Teas Janice Murfitt (Mustard) 3,201 pounds 0.99

4 Men are from Mars... John Gray (Thorsons) 2,415 pounds 8.99

5 Rothman's Football Yearbook ed G & J Rollin (Headline) 1,463 pounds 18.99

6 The Naked Chef Jamie Oliver (M Joseph) 1,454 pounds 18.99

7 Medicine (Siena) 1,202 pounds 0.99

8 The Western Front Richard Holmes (BBC) 1,142 pounds 17.99

9 NoW Football Annual ed Eric Brown (CollinsWillow) 1,053 pounds 5.99

10 Stars Wars: visual dictionary David W Reynolds (DK) 1,027 pounds 12.99

ORIGINAL FICTION

TITLE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER WEEKLY PRICE

SALES

1 The Kissing Garden Charlotte Bingham (Bantam) 7,994 pounds 5.99

2 Harry Potter and... J K Rowling (Bloomsbury) 7,262 pounds 10.99

3 Mr Maybe Jane Green (Penguin) 6,788 pounds 6.99

4 The Making of Minty Malone Isabel Wolff (HarperCollins) 6,125 pounds 5.99

5 Hannibal Thomas Harris (Heinemann) 4,485 pounds 16.99

6 Granny Dan Danielle Steel (Bantam) 3,842 pounds 9.99

7 Hot Property Zoe Barnes (Piatkus) 3,013 pounds 5.99

8 The Business Iain Banks (Little, Brown) 1,987 pounds 16.99

9 Ralph's Party Lisa Jewell (Penguin) 1,833 pounds 5.99

10 Leaving Patrick Prue Leith (Penguin) 1,583 pounds 5.99