Published in October 1976 amid significant advance expectations,[4] Roots was immediately successful, garnering a slew of positive reviews[5][6] and debuting at number five of The New York Times Best Seller list (with The Times choosing to classify it as non-fiction).[7] By mid-November, it rose to number one.[8] The television adaptation of the book aired in January 1977, further fueling book sales. Within seven months of its release, Roots had sold over 15 million hard cover copies.[9]
In total, Roots spent 22 weeks at the number one spot on The Times' list, including the first 18 weeks of 1977, before falling to number three on May 8.[10] It did not fall off of the list entirely until August 7.[11] By then, the list had featured it for 46 weeks.[12] Together, the success of the novel and its 1977 television adaptation sparked an explosion of interest in the fields of genealogy and researching family histories.[13][14][15]
Haley earned a Pulitzer Prize special award in 1977 for Roots.[16] The television miniseries garnered many awards, including nine Emmys and a Peabody.