Magazine Says Business Book Sales Inflated
NEW YORK - The authors of a book on business strategy apparently attempted to inflate sales to get onto the prestigious New York Times best-seller list and others around the country, Business Week magazine reported.
In an article released yesterday, Business Week said authors Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema, both consultants, devised a plan to promote their book "The Discipline of Market Leaders" by buying 10,000 copies of the book. In addition, their consulting firm, CSC Index funneled bulk purchases by corporate clients of 30,000 to 40,000 copies through bookstores, the magazine said.
Spokesmen for the book's publisher, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., and The New York Times did not immediately return calls for comment.
The book was on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for 15 weeks starting Feb. 26 and reached as high as No. 5.