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NYT Removes New YA Book From Bestseller List, Following Indications of Planned, Bulk Purchases
The New York Times reissued their Young Adult hardcover bestseller list for sales through the week ending August 19 early Thursday evening to eliminate Lani Sarem's Handbook for Mortals, which had debuted at No. 1, after an online campaign (including input from indie booksellers) helped to establish what appears to have been programmatic bulk orders placed through strategic stores, specifically designed to put the book on the NYT's list. Jordan Cohen at the NYT told us, "After investigating the inconsistencies in the most recent reporting cycle, we've decided that the sales for 'Handbook for Mortals' do not meet our criteria for inclusion. We'll be issuing an updated 'Young Adult Hardcover' list for September 3 which will not include that title."

In their data published Wednesday, NPD Book (formerly Bookscan) did not include the title on any of their bestseller lists "based on...eligibility rules," even though the title recorded opening week print sales of approximately 18,500 units. The No. 1 listed NPD Book YA hardcover bestseller, Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give, sold just over 6,000 print books, suggesting it wasn't even a close call for Sarem's book to be disqualified.

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