Robert Spencer ‘ bestselling’ author of the worst book.

 For the department of English and Media studies. By Prof DR Sohail AnsariDead line: 20thMayObjectives: Making students the critical consumer of information. Initiating students into the art of academic writing.

We learn that Robert Spencer is ‘’NY Times bestselling author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)"

‘Every author dreams of slapping “New York Times Best Seller” on their book jacket. For publishers, it means big exposure. For authors, it validates their popularity. For readers, it means that they’re in the know’.

Sounds impressive, isn’t it?

The word ‘best selling’ always disarmed me. I always felt dazzled by the ‘Bestselling authors’, believing them to be words- wizards, focused on the deeper aspects, and going beyond the Surface.

Dr. Laura Miller, Professor of Sociology at Brandeis University and author of ‘The Best-Seller List as Marketing Tool and Historical Fiction tells Hopes&Fears’ states: “Once you got online bookselling, anyone and everyone was selling a book. You can’t have millions of retail establishments giving data to the Times. That means they have to ask for a sample of the different kinds of places that are selling books.

Publishers Weekly and New York Times have traditionally been the only ones to genuinely try to get a true national picture. If you look at Amazon, which is another best seller list that people will often use or refer to, that’s just Amazon sales and that’s going to be very different than if you were to compile the sales of remaining independent bookstores. Those independent bookstores make up less than 10% of sales, enough to change the statistics but not enough to necessarily alter the broad overview the Times list aims for’’.

 Dr. Laura Miller, Professor of Sociology, is human and human is not infallible. Dr. Laura Miller has erred therefore she says such topsyturvy things, I believe  Robert Spencer is bestselling author. But the best book against Islam is the book that is declared best by Muslim scholars or the book that leaves them dumbfounded.

The book that sells best among the worst (people those know nothing about Islam or already biased against it) is the worst book because it thrives on ignorance or hatred.

Question: The author quoted Dr. Laura Miller and then said she has erred. Why he has done so?

Do you think that the author believes that sale does not determine the worth of a book?