NEW YORK -- The New York Times is disputing a conservative publisher's claim it favors liberal books for its best-sellers list.
Regnery Publishing said Monday it will no longer recognize the Times' accounting of book sales, meaning its writers can no longer claim to be "New York Times best-selling authors." That's a big deal in the book business.
Regnery publishes books by Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Ann Coulter and other conservative authors.
Regnery is annoyed its book "The Big Lie: Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left" is only No. 7 on the Times' latest best-sellers list even though another organization that tracks sales ranks it as No. 1.
But the Times noted conservative authors have routinely ranked high and in great numbers on its best-sellers list.
A Times spokesman said the political views of authors have no bearing on its rankings and the notion it would manipulate its lists to exclude books for political reasons "is simply ludicrous."
The newspaper is a frequent target of conservatives and Republicans, including President Donald Trump. (AP)