ResultSource

ResultSource is a San Diego-based book marketing company that conducts "bestseller campaigns" on behalf of authors.[1] The company states "'We create campaigns that reach a specific goal, like: "On the bestsellers list," or "100,000 copies sold.'"[1] For example, for a negotiated fee ResultSource will guarantee that a book becomes a bestseller.[2] It does this through bulk book buying programs designed to manipulate the metrics used by Nielsen BookScan and the New York Times Best Seller list, among other strategies.[1] As a result of ResultSource's business practices, Amazon.com has stopped doing business with the company.[3] The company was founded by Kevin Small[1] and is now run by Mat Miller.[4][5]

ResultSource
IndustryBook Marketing
Headquarters
San Diego, California
,
United States

The details of ResultSource's business are private and few in the publishing industry will speak openly about it.[3] "It's no wonder few people in the industry want to talk about bestseller campaigns. Put bluntly, they allow people with enough money, contacts, and know-how to buy their way onto bestseller lists."[3] However some information has come to light. In 2014, the Los Angeles Times published a story titled "Can bestseller lists be bought?"[2][6] It describes how author and pastor Mark Driscoll contracted with ResultSource to place his book Real Marriage on the New York Times bestseller list for a $200,000 fee. The contract was for ResultSource "to conduct a bestseller campaign for your book, 'Real Marriage' on the week of January 2, 2012. The bestseller campaign is intended to place 'Real Marriage' on the New York Times bestseller list for the Advice How-to list." To achieve this, the contract stated that "RSI will be purchasing at least 11,000 total orders in one week." This took place and as a result, the book was successfully ranked #1 on the hardcover advice bestseller list on January 22, 2014.[2] Driscoll later published an apology letter.[7]

Other authors who are known to have contracted with ResultSource include:

  • Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness.[3][8]
  • Soren Kaplan, Leapfrogging. Kaplan purchased about 2,500 books through ResultSource, paying about $22 a book for a total of about $55,000. He also paid ResultSource a fee in the range of $20,000 to $30,000. The book reached #3 on the Wall Street Journal's hardcover business best-seller list, and #1 on BarnesandNoble.com.[1]
  • Joseph Michelli, Prescription for Excellence. It reached #1 on the New York Times hardcover advice and miscellaneous list dated June 12, 2011.[1]
  • Steve Poizner, Mount Pleasant: My Journey from Creating a Billion-Dollar Company to Teaching at a Struggling Public High School reached #5 on the New York Times list.[9][10]
  • Keith Ferrazzi, Who's Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success- and Won't Let You Fail. Ranked #1 in all books on Amazon.com, and #1 on BN.com[11]
  • Ken Blanchard & Don Hutson, One Minute Entrepreneur: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business. [12]
  • Martin Lindstrom, Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy.[13]
  • Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, The Daily Carrot Principle: 365 Ways to Enhance Your Career and Life. Ranked #6 New York Times, #3 Wall Street Journal, #1 Amazon.[14]
  • Pamela Yellen, Bank on Yourself: The Life-Changing Secret to Protecting Your Financial Future. Ranked #3 New York Times, #2 USA Today, #1 Amazon.[15]
  • Tony Schwartz, The Way We're Working Isn't Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance. Ranked #2 New York Times, #3 Wall Street Journal, #2 USA Today, #1 Amazon.[16]
  • Charlene Li, Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead. Ranked #5 New York Times, #3 Wall Street Journal, #3 USA Today, #1 Amazon.[17]
  • Phil Town, Payback Time: Making Big Money Is the Best Revenge!. Ranked #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, #1 USA Today, #1 Amazon.[18]
  • Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, Conquer The Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business Without Going Crazy. Ranked #4 New York Times, #4 Wall Street Journal, #3 USA Today.[19]
  • Grant Cardone, If You're Not First You're Last: Sales Strategies to Dominate Your Market and Beat Your Competition. Ranked #8 New York Times, #3 Wall Street Journal, #4 USA Today.[20]
  • Mars Hill Church used ResultSource to promote Christian books, as did Christian authors David Jeremiah, Les and Leslie Parrott and Pastor Perry Noble.[21][22]
  • Lani Sarem, Handbook for Mortals. Ranked #1 New York Times Young Adult Hardcover before being taken off the list after a mere 23 hours. [23][24][25]

See also

References
  1. Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg (February 22, 2013). "The Mystery of the Book Sales Spike". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014.
  2. Carolyn Kellogg (March 6, 2014). "Can bestseller lists be bought?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  3. Jeff Bercovici (February 22, 2013). "Here's How You Buy Your Way Onto The New York Times Bestsellers List". Forbes. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  4. Throckmorton, Warren (March 6, 2014). "The Signed Contract That Helped Get Mark Driscoll's Real Marriage on the New York Times Best Seller List". Warren Throckmorton. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  5. "'Distasteful if Not Immoral': Popular Pastor's Church Accused of Spending $200,000+ to Trick NY Times Into Making His Book a 'Best-Seller'". TheBlaze. March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  6. Julia Fleischaker (March 7, 2014). "Got $200,000? Congratulations, you're a bestselling author". Melville House Publishing. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  7. "Mark Driscoll Posts an Open Letter of Apology". Relevant Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  8. "Tony Hsieh". ResultSource. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014.
  9. Malcolm Maclachlan (April 29, 2010). "Hundreds reportedly received unsolicited copies of Poizner memoir". Capitol Weekly. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  10. Scott Herhold, etc (May 2, 2010). "Internal Affairs: The mysterious case of Poizner's best-selling book". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017.
  11. Ferrazzi, Keith. "Who's got Your Back". ResultSource. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  12. Don Hutson; Ken Blanchard. "One Minute Entrepreneur: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business". ResultSource. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  13. Lindstrom, Martin. "Buyology". RealSource. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  14. Chester Elton, Adrian Gostick. "The Daily Carrot Principle". ResultSource. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  15. Yellen, Pamela. "Bank on Yourself: The Life-Changing Secret to Protecting Your Financial Future". Result Source. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  16. Schwartz, Tony. "The Way We're Working Isn't Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance". Result Source. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  17. Li, Charlene. "Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead". Result Source. Archived from the original on May 29, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  18. Town, Phil. "Payback Time: Making Big Money Is the Best Revenge!". ResultSource. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  19. Scott Martineau, Clate Mask. "Conquer The Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business Without Going Crazy". ResultSource. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  20. Cardone, Grant. "f You're Not First You're Last: Sales Strategies to Dominate Your Market and Beat Your Competition". ResultSource. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  21. Sutton Turner (April 23, 2015). "Former Mars Hill Church Executive Pastor and Elder Shares All: Big Mistake of ResultSource (Pt. 1)". The Christian Post. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  22. Warren Throckmorton (November 16, 2014). "How the Religious Right Scams Its Way Onto the New York Times Bestseller List". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  23. Shapiro, Lila. "The Making (and Unmaking) of a 23-Hour Times Best Seller". Vulture. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  24. "Here's how sleuths got the YA book "Handbook for Mortals" pulled from NYT's best-seller list". Fast Company. August 25, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  25. "'Handbook for Mortals' Pulled From 'New York Times' YA Best-Seller List". EW.com. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
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