Ted Cruz’s biography will appear on the forthcoming issue of the New York Times’ bestseller list days after the publication, citing evidence of "strategic bulk purchases," refused to offer a spot to the Republican senator’s memoir.
Politico reported that A Time For Truth, which sold 11,854 copies in its first week and eclipsed 18 of the 20 titles on the Times’ list for the week ending July 4, will debut on the bestseller list at No. 7.
A spokeswoman for the Times insisted Wednesday that the list was compiled "using the same process" it has used in previous weeks.
"That process involves a careful analysis of data, and is not influenced in any way by the content of a book, or by pressure from publishers or book sellers," alleged spokeswoman Eileen Murphy.
Last week when the Times blocked Cruz’s biography from its bestsellers list, Murphy claimed that there was an "overwhelming preponderance of evidence" that sales of Cruz’s biography were "limited to strategic bulk purchases."
However, both HarperCollins, the publisher of Cruz’s book, and Amazon insisted that there was no evidence of such bulk purchasing.
Cruz’s presidential campaign subsequently blasted the Times for spreading "false" information about the GOP presidential candidate’s book sales and attempting "to impugn the integrity of Senator Cruz and of his publisher."
"We call on the Times, release your so-called ‘evidence,’" declared Cruz campaign spokesperson Rick Tyler in a statement Friday. "Demonstrate that your charge isn’t simply a naked fabrication, designed to cover up your own partisan agenda. And, if you cannot do so, then issue a public apology to Senator Cruz and Harper Collins editor Adam Bellow for making false charges against them."
Though Cruz’s book will now make the Times’ cut, Murphy said that the publication will not disclose who it uses for sales data.
"Our approach serves Times readers by authenticating broadly popular books through the confidential reporting of a wide range of retailers," she explained. "In order to avoid compromising that process, we do not disclose who reports sales to us."
Tyler insisted Wednesday that the newspaper’s initial decision to block A Time For Truth "raises troubling questions" for all authors.
"The New York Times has a responsibility to authors and readers to have the Public Editor Margaret Sullivan examine its methodology -- and I join others in calling for the Times to do just that," he said.