This space serves as a listing of YA books written by Black authors that hit the NYT Bestsellers Young Adult Paperback List.
This list is currently updated from October 2019 – August 2022. This list is updated once a month.
Notes: The most Black YA authors to appear on the NYT Bestsellers Paperback List in the same month is 6 authors as of July 2020.
The most YA Books written by Black authors to appear on the NYT Bestsellers Paperback List in the same month is 7 books as of July 2020.
PAPERBACK

The Poet X by by Elizabeth Acevedo
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #7 in July 2020
Highest Rank: #7
Initial Months Straight on The List: 1
Months on List: 1
2020: July

With the Fire on High by by Elizabeth Acevedo
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #10 in June 2021
Highest Rank: #10
Initial Months Straight on The List: 1
Months on List: 1
2021: June

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Debut: #4 in March 2022
Highest Rank: #4
Initial Months Straight on The List: 2
Months on List: 2
2022: March, April

This Book is Anti-Racist by by Tiffany Jewell. Illustrated by Aurélia Durand
Genre: Nonfiction
Debut: #1 in July 2020
Highest Rank: #1
Initial Months Straight on The List: 5
Months on List: 6
2021: March
2020: July, August, September, October, November

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #3 in October 2019
Highest Rank: #1 in November 2019
Initial Months Straight on The List: 3
Months on List: 21
2022: April, May
2021: February, May, June, August, September, October, November
2020: February, March, April, June, July, August, September, October, November
2019: October, November, December

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #8 in October 2019
Highest Rank: #2 in July 2020
Initial Months Straight on The List: 1
Months on List: 7
2021: July
2020: July, August, September, October, November
2019: October

Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #5 in October 2019
Highest Rank: #1 in February 2020
Initial Months Straight on The List: 3
Months on List: 16
2022: March
2021: January, February
2020: February, March, April, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2019: October, November, December

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Genre: Nonfiction
Debut: #10 in January 2020
Highest Rank: #4 in May 2020
Initial Months Straight on The List: 2
Months on List: 6
2020: January, February, May, June, July, August

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #7 in August 2022
Highest Rank: #7 in August 2022
Initial Months Straight on The List: 1
Months on List: 1
2022: August

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #10 in July 2020
Highest Rank: #10
Initial Months Straight on The List: 1
Months on List: 1
2020: July

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #10 in October 2019
Highest Rank: #10
Initial Months Straight on The List: 1
Months on List: 1
2019: October

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
Genre: Contemporary
Debut: #7 in October 2019
Highest Rank: #4 in December 2019
Initial Months Straight on The List: 9
Months on List: 11
2021: June, July
2020: January, February, March, April, May, June
2019: October, November, December