A Case of Strange Book-Keeping

Like so many authors, David A. Vise, an award-winning reporter for The Washington Post, wanted to create big buzz for his recently published book. He promoted his work on just about every radio or television show that would have him, including "Today," Don Imus's show and "The O'Reilly Factor." He made personal appearances around the country. He created a Web site advertising the book and its author.

But unlike other authors, Vise also bought between 16,000 and 18,000 copies of his own book from an online bookseller, Barnesandnoble.com, and then returned most of them in a confusing series of transactions. This unusual tactic has prompted suspicions that he was trying to manipulate bestseller lists by creating phantom sales, which Vise firmly denies.