Authors · NYT Hardcover Fiction

Peter Benchley

Charting Mar 10, 1974 → Sep 8, 1991 · 100 weeks with chart power

Peak Power: 11.11%; week of Jul 28, 1974
Career Power: 823; share-weeks
Weeks at #1: 0; weeks as the top author

Peak Year: 433; February 1974 – February 1975
Peak Five Years: 648; March 1974 – June 1979
Top-five weeks: 57; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 100; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 12.64%; week of Mar 31, 1974
Comebacks: 3; June 1976, July 1979, August 1991

Comebacks (thresholds from `config/scoring.json`)
Kind	Trough began	Returned	Trough weeks	Longest absence	Prior peak	Return share
After decline	Mar 9, 1975	Jun 27, 1976	68	64	11.11%	4.02%
After absence	Jan 2, 1977	Jul 15, 1979	119	112	11.11%	4.01%
After absence	Oct 28, 1979	Aug 11, 1991	615	352	11.11%	4.08%

Ranked by weekly Power Share, part of the ChartReign Power model — not the list's own positions (config version 4, Sep 22, 2026). How it works →

Exponentially smoothed share of the week's total power (the primary metric).

Titles on the NYT Hardcover Fiction

5 books · 823 share-weeks of Career Power

Power contributed is what each book earned this author: their weekly Power Share, split across their books (a featured credit takes its reduced share). Book Power is the book's own figure, the same for every author on it. Bar length compares books within this list.

Title	Peak	Weeks	On chart	Power contributedPower	Book Power
Jaws	#2March 1974	45	March 1974 – February 1975	433.1	433.1
The Deep	#2June 1976	24	May 1976 – November 1976	211.2	211.2
The Island	#4July 1979	18	May 1979 – September 1979	107.4	107.4
Beast	#4July 1991	11	June 1991 – September 1991	67.4	67.4
Q Clearance	#15July 1986	2	July 1986 – August 1986	4.2	4.2