NYT pulls ‘Handbook’ from best-seller list

Lapin lands deal for ‘Rich Mommy’

NEW YORK, Aug 26, (Agencies): 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 came after online complaints that “Handbook for Mortals” had benefitted from socalled “bulk sales,” when hundreds or thousands of copies are ordered by a single buyer. On Twitter, young adult author Phil Stamper and others had questioned how a book they knew little about could reach No. 1 on the Times list.

“After investigating the inconsistencies in the most recent reporting cycle, we decided that the sales for ‘Handbook for Mortals’ did not meet our criteria for inclusion,” the Times said in a statement issued through communications director Jordan Cohen. “We’ve issued an updated ‘Young Adult Hardcover’ list for Sept 3, 2017, which does not include that title.” Cohen told The Associated Press that it was a “very rare occurrence” for a book to be removed from the paper’s bestseller listings.

Sarem told the AP on Friday that she was unaware of any efforts to manipulate sales and that thousands of copies had sold through preorders at gatherings such as Wizard World Comic Con, in Chicago, where she is currently promoting “Handbook for Mortals.”

“We’ve been doing this all year,” she said during a telephone interview. Among those who have been publicizing the book — “American Pie” actor Thomas Ian Nicholas, who is also at Wizard World and in June told radio station WMMR in Philadelphia that he was hoping to produce and star in a film adaptation.

Published Aug 15, “Handbook for Mortals” is billed as the first of a fantasy series about a young woman with supernatural powers. It’s also billed as the first release through the publishing arm of a Los Angeles-based web site, geeknation. com, which calls itself “an online entertainment destination serving up a fresh, daily dose of news, opinion, lifestyle and community.”

The novel’s popularity seems highly selective. It ranked No. 34,765 on Amazon.com as of Friday afternoon, but recorded enough sales at independent stores to reach No. 2 on the American Booksellers Association’s young adult list. Spokesman Dan Cullen of the ABA, a trade group representing thousands of independent sellers, said the association was reviewing the book’s rankings.

James Patterson and Richard DiLallo’s thriller “The Store,” about the secrets of a futuristic retailer, debuted at the top of the US fiction best-seller list on Thursday.

Data released by independent, online and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors across the United States was used to compile the list.

Hardcover Fiction — Last week 1. “The Store” Patterson/DiLallo (Little, Brown), —, 2. “Seeing Red”

Sandra Brown (Grand Central), —, 3. “Camino Island” John Grisham (Doubleday), —, 4. “The Late Show” Michael Connelly (Little, Brown), 3, 5. “Any Dream Will Do” Debbie Macomber (Ballantine), 1, 6. “The Lying Game” Ruth Ware (Scout), 4, 7. “Exposed” Lisa Scottoline (St Martin’s), 2, 8. “I Know A Secret” Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine), —, 9. “A Gentleman in Moscow” Amor Towles (Viking), 9, 10. “House of Spies” Daniel Silva (Harper), 7.

1. “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” Mark Manson (HarperOne), 2, 2. “The Big Lie” Dinesh D’Souza (Regnery), 3, 3. “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” Neil deGrasse Tyson (Norton), 4, 4. “Make Your Bed” William H. McRaven (Grand Central), 7, 5. “Al Franken, Giant of the Senate” Al Franken (Twelve), 5, 6. “Of Mess and Moxie” Jen Hatmaker (Nelson), 1, 7. “Devil’s Bargain” Joshua Green (Penguin Press), 15, 8. “BraveTart” — Stella Parks (Norton), —, 9. “Hail to the Chain” — Bruce Campbell (St Martin’s/Dunne), —, 10. “Option B” Sandberg/Grant (Knopf), 14.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: New York Times best-selling author and TV personality Nicole Lapin has inked a sixfigure deal with the publisher Hay House for her upcoming third book, “Rich Mommy: A Simple 12-Step Plan for Growing Your Family and Your Wealth.”

She previously penned the New York Times bestsellers “Rich Bitch” and “Boss Bitch,” and will use her expertise to help women prepare for yet another phase of their lives, the financial side of having and raising children. From conception to college, the book tells readers what to expect, how to save for the unexpected, how to raise financiallyhealthy children, and how to eventually get them out of the nest.