Handbook for Mortals pulled from NYT YA bestseller list over sales 'inconsistencies'
Author says social media pressure caused the paper to drop Handbook for Mortals from the chart
A novel called Handbook for Mortals had a very brief reign at the top of a New York Times bestseller list.
The paper confirmed Friday that it had pulled Lani Sarem's book from its young adult hardcover list for Sept. 3 because of "inconsistencies" in the reporting of sales.
The announcement comes after online complaints that Handbook for Mortals had benefited from so-called "bulk sales," when hundreds or thousands of copies are ordered by a single buyer.
Sarem told The Hollywood Reporter she was frustrated by the decision and believes social media pressure cause the Times to pull the book.
"There has been no official explanation to what happened other than they reported inconsistencies. Nobody talked to us," she said.
Placement on a Times bestseller list is highly valued by authors and publishers, and efforts to manipulate sales through "bulk" purchases have occurred over the years.
However, Sarem stressed that she didn't know of anyone who strategically bulk bought the book in an effort to influence its position on the bestseller list and compares her book's success to controversial bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey.
"Whether you like the book or hate it, you have to acknowledge it outsold everything," she added. "There's a world out there of people that read books; they just don't exist in this little pocket, in this niche."
With files from CBC News.