Because the NYT bestseller list is essentially not an accurate report, but "fake news." In 1983 William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist, filed a lawsuit against the NYT for failing to include his book Legion on the list, despite provable sales. The Times won the lawsuit by claiming that their list does not in fact reflect bestsellers, but their own editorial opinion as to what constitutes a bestseller. In other words, they massage and ignore real data: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...
How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
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Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#62Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#63This "buyer" is not going to buy any of the books. The trick only works because the book is considered published yet it is out of stock so has to be back ordered. And these back orders still count for the NYT bestseller list. My guess is they somehow triggered some sort of last second revision for their own book at the publisher thus pausing the printing. So the book is technically published and available in various…
> The trick only works because the book is considered published yet it is out of stock so has to be back ordered. And these back orders still count for the NYT bestseller list.
The NYT says that "Sales are defined as completed transactions by individuals"[1]. Either you're mistaken about the trick that was used or the NYT is lying about their methodology.
Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
> the Ch\wrch of Sc\w+nt\wl\wgy What's going on here?
You can get into trouble if you speak ill of the Ch*rch in public. This hinders discoverability.
Hey Church of Scientology, somebody here is claiming you are fraudsters gaming the bestseller lists. I'll add my own opinion that you're an abusive cult dead set on parting fools and their money, that your "church" was invented by a guy alternating between nights on uppers and downers, and your myth of aliens on DC-10s doing something around a vulcano (can't remember the details) is pure fantasy.
If you want to sue me, you should be able to find my details if you click on my username. Have at it!
Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can get into trouble if you speak ill of the Ch*rch in public. This hinders discoverability.
Trouble with who? The Church? I'm familiar with their weirdo bullying tactics but you can't really take them seriously - they have no power.
There was a time in the 90s when Scientology was the main target of internet censorship, and they (mis)used copyright law to hinder criticism and to hide what they did.
South Park broadcast all the details of Xenu in 2005, which made it much easier for other former Scientologists (e.g. Kate Bornstein) to talk about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_and_the_Internet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapped_in_the_Closet_(South_P...
Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can get into trouble if you speak ill of the Ch*rch in public. This hinders discoverability.
Fuck the Church of Scientology. I know they're nasty motherfuckers, but if nothing else they don't have the resources to personally mess with every person anywhere on the internet who speaks ill of them, not since Chanology multiplied that number by orders of magnitude. Don't let them scare you into censoring yourself, even in such a minor way.
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Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#67Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#68btw, YA is Young Adult literature. I've never heard about this jargon.
Thanks, I was totally confused as it's mentioned several times yet never explained in the first paragraphs.
Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#69Wow, the goodreads rating got fixed fast: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35800325-handbook-for-mo...
I love the fact that the author rated her own book five stars. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2076269822?book_show_a...
Re: How did “Handbook for Mortals” get on the NYT bestseller list?
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thank you. The article is treating the NYT bestseller list as sacrosanct. Someone figured a (relatively) cheap way to hack it. Good for them. As someone who just published a children's book if I thought this would work I would try it.
It's a scam regardless of how cheap it was. It sounds like you're trying justify the fact you'd be willing to do the same scam.
Years ago I became aware of how many wealthy people and "best-selling authors" bought their way onto the NY Times list and how even people with publishing deals are often "encouraged" to use their advances to use companies like ResultsSource.
Since the entire thing seems to be a scam to me I like this one because of it's elegance. Why bother even selling the books or paying Results Source when you can just put it in a few hundred orders for 30 books across various independent stores.