Cuomo’s Scandals Haven’t Been Good for Leadership Book Sales

(Bloomberg) -- Sales of Andrew Cuomo’s pandemic memoir have dried up in recent weeks as the New York governor faces dual investigations over sexual-harassment allegations and accusations his administration deliberately covered up Covid-19 nursing-home deaths.

“America’s Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” came out in October. Just 300 copies of the book moved in February, marking the worst-performing month since its release, according to market researcher NPD Group. The book sold more than 45,800 units since its mid-October release, NPD said.

In the book, the Democratic governor recounted how New York became the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, tapping the truisms he cultivated over months of daily virus briefings that became must-see television and earned him an Emmy Award.

A steep drop-off in sales within eight weeks of release is common for books about politics, according to Kristen McLean, an analyst with NPD. However, sales for Cuomo’s book saw a “precipitous drop” five weeks ago, from the low thousands to less than 200 copies a week, McLean said in an email.

“Of course we cannot confirm why it’s dropped,” she said. “We will leave that question to others.”

Read More: N.Y. Lawmakers Approve Bill to Strip Cuomo’s Pandemic-Era Powers

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