Cuomo book sales see ‘precipitous drop’

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) memoir has seen a “precipitous drop” in sales in recent weeks amid scandals around his handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes and sexual harassment allegations, Bloomberg News reports.

Market researcher NPD Group told the outlet that only 300 copies of “America’s Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” moved in February, while the book has sold over 45,800 units since it was released in October.

Kristen McLean, an NPD analyst, told Bloomberg that a steep-drop off in sales within eight weeks is common for political books, but said Cuomo’s book saw a “precipitous drop” in sales five weeks ago. It went from selling several thousand to less than 200 copies a week, she said.

McLean said “we cannot confirm why it was dropped,” adding “we will leave that question to others.”

Cuomo and his administration have faced growing scrutiny over the past month after New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a report in late January finding that the state underreported COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50 percent.

The New York state legislature passed a bill on Friday that would revoke Cuomo’s authority to issue new directives without oversight of the legislature, an emergency power he was given early on in the pandemic.

Meanwhile, three of Cuomo’s former aides have accused him of sexual harassment. James’s office is currently investigating those accusations.

Cuomo rebuffed calls for his resignation on Wednesday, but apologized to his accusers for his behavior.