Author indicted over bestseller bulk-buying scheme

A well-known author has been brought to trial over allegations of engineering bulk purchases of 1,600 copies of their book to drive it higher on a bestseller list, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Along with the author, a publishing company head who allegedly conspired in the scheme was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Publishing Industry Promotion Act, according to the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office.

The two allegedly conspired to boost sales of the author’s new book, published in January 2024, to get it onto a particular bookstore’s bestseller list and keep it there. From March to July that year, they visited branches of the bookstore across the country and bought up copies of the book.

Of the book’s 11,135 total sales during the period, 1,631 copies, or roughly 14 percent, came from the bulk-buying scheme. The purchases pushed its weekly ranking in the category from the Nos. 3 to 4 range to the Nos. 2 to 3 range.

The two allegedly turned to bulk buying because they believed a higher place on the bestseller list would be more effective publicity than conventional advertising, according to investigators.

The author and the publisher had met while publishing another book in the past. The indicted publisher's company reportedly had no direct connection to the book involved in the bulk-buying scheme.

BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]