I believe that timing has a lot to do with position on polls.
If you can orchestrate the timing of purchases for a book or authors, it will drive their position on the charts up, which of course will further sales. The question is who besides the author has a reason to drive those positions up. Pretty simple answers usually.
It is a self seeding type thing.
Likewise the sales of a political book or author or even a politically sensitive book (like abortion, a ban on guns, and or course prejudice, labor, fiscal stuff, and politician) have even greater pressures added on by organizations who buy a lot of books at just the right time. Of course they get a deal from the publishers. (as they should)
Check your favorite or your least favorite political blog. See what they are selling.
I will finally say, less than half the books on the "best seller lists" would be there without these machinations. Maybe less than a quarter. Some would argue less than a tenth but I am not so critical.
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