(HorizonPost.com) – James Patterson accused the New York Times of “cooking” the best sellers list instead of relying on sales, according to The Daily Mail. He reportedly said that they lack statistical authenticity and instead are based on another complex methodology. He first went on Twitter to express his doubt over the process in which he mentioned how former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sold more copies of his book than other books on the list, although it was not considered a “best seller.”
He also mentioned how a fiction novel by J.D. Robb that sold more than the others was not on the list either. Patterson then questioned whether “best sellers” meant best for the Times’ audience.
The 76-year-old acclaimed author, who has published numerous bestselling books a year and is placed as one of the wealthiest writers along with J.K. Rowling, did not receive a response from the New York Times. He also sent a letter to the editor which has been met with silence.
The letter began by acknowledging his longtime reverence for the paper, saying that he “devoured” it every day since he moved to New York in 1971 and paid special attention to the book section. He first went after the newspaper’s claim that they weigh the sales of books from tens of thousands of bookstores, a number which he found implausible.
He continued to make the point that his new book, “Walk the Thin Blue Line,” outsold nearly all of the books on the list but was still not considered a bestseller. The book is summarized as a collection of stories from police officers.
Patterson has described himself as a left-leaning Independent but has suggested that there might be an ulterior motive for the paper. He asked them to stop what they are doing.
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