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Zenit reports on 9/16:
The "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church "(208 pp with illustrations, Euro 9.50) sold 625,000 copies (in Italy) in July and August , but this is not reflected in the bestseller lists reported by the principal newspapers.

The Compendium was a project ordered by Pope John Paul II and realized under Benedict XVI, who was chairman of the commission that prepared the Compendium, which is a synthesis of the elements of Catholic belief, presented in question-and-answer format in clear and simple language.

The pocketbook version has sold 540,000 copies, while the bookbound version (Euro 19.50), sold another 85,000. But despite the phenomenal numbers, the cultural pages have not taken notice. Even on the Internet, there are very few articles which comment, criticize, or even simply report on what the Compendium is all about.

Alberto Porro, marketing director of Edizioni San Paolo, which publishes the Italian version, says it's nothing new. Those who gather book sales statistics generally report only numbers from regular bookstores, and not sales made in general distribution (such as news kiosks on streets and in train and bus stations, for intance) where the Compendium has registered 15% of its total sales. It also exlcudes sales numbers from religious stores, which have sold some 45% of the Catechism.

He says "criteria" for best-seller reporting is widely accepted but hard to understand. He cites, for instance, that the Bible sells one and a half million copies annually in Italy but it is never included in the lists.

Edizioni San Paolo had initially printed only 250,000 copies, but within weeks, it was clear that the demand was at least three times as much as they had anticipated.

A representative of the publisher remarked that the existing system of reporting on book sales "looks at the mushrooms that grow on the forest flor and misses the largest trees."
He cites, for instance, that the encyclicals of John Paul II sold in millions but were never reported in the best-seller lists.
"Who else," he asks, "other than a Pope, can sell millions of copies of each of his books?"