An interesting if perhaps slightly dated list can be found at http://www.korval.com/congru2.htm -- this is a list of authors (not all science fiction) preferred by people who are Liaden Universe readers. Lee & Miller had a Liaden book -- I Dare -- that was ranked #2 on the amazon.com SF bestseller list and it reached somewhere in the 40s or 50s in the overall top 100 at amazon.com; I think it made it to #3 or so on one of the Locus bestseller lists -- which means you've got a list weighted toward readers who like Lee & Miller, Bujold, Weber, Cherryh, and etc...YMMV; I've used it because I like space opera adventure stuff.
While science fiction specialty stores have been in trouble for a couple years there are still enough around to be used for a bestseller list -- as long as it is a dedicated genre list. Off the top of my head (away from my database, sigh) --
Atlanta -- SF & Mystery Bookstore /
Boston -- Pandemonium Books /
California -- Mysterious Galaxy, Dangerous Visions /
Chicago -- Stars My Destination /
Mass. (somewhere)-- Space-Crime Continuim /
Minneapolis -- Uncle Hugos, Dreamhaven /
New Hampshire -- Toadstool Books /
Texas (somewhere) Adventures in Crime & Space / -- Amazon.com apparently realizes that SF readers tend to be big readers -- they push SF hard with newsletters, multiple bestseller and "what's hot" lists and the like. The fact that they report what happens and a lot of bestseller lists report what the editors want to happen makes amazon a little more accurate, but since they track online sales only they miss a portion of older readers. Apparently Barnes and Noble's online sales figures reflect *total sales* and not just online sales. Meld B&N's list with Amazon's list and you have something to work from.
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An interesting if perhaps slightly dated list can be found at http://www.korval.com/congru2.htm -- this is a list of authors (not all science fiction) preferred by people who are Liaden Universe readers. Lee & Miller had a Liaden book -- I Dare -- that was ranked #2 on the amazon.com SF bestseller list and it reached somewhere in the 40s or 50s in the overall top 100 at amazon.com; I think it made it to #3 or so on one of the Locus bestseller lists -- which means you've got a list weighted toward readers who like Lee & Miller, Bujold, Weber, Cherryh, and etc...YMMV; I've used it because I like space opera adventure stuff.
While science fiction specialty stores have been in trouble for a couple years there are still enough around to be used for a bestseller list -- as long as it is a dedicated genre list. Off the top of my head (away from my database, sigh) -- Atlanta -- SF & Mystery Bookstore / Boston -- Pandemonium Books / California -- Mysterious Galaxy, Dangerous Visions / Chicago -- Stars My Destination / Mass. (somewhere)-- Space-Crime Continuim / Minneapolis -- Uncle Hugos, Dreamhaven / New Hampshire -- Toadstool Books / Texas (somewhere) Adventures in Crime & Space / -- Amazon.com apparently realizes that SF readers tend to be big readers -- they push SF hard with newsletters, multiple bestseller and "what's hot" lists and the like. The fact that they report what happens and a lot of bestseller lists report what the editors want to happen makes amazon a little more accurate, but since they track online sales only they miss a portion of older readers. Apparently Barnes and Noble's online sales figures reflect *total sales* and not just online sales. Meld B&N's list with Amazon's list and you have something to work from.