This is from the NY Times regarding the ranking methodology for the best seller list.
“The universe of print book dealers is well established, and sales of print titles are statistically weighted to represent all outlets nationwide. “
Basically, if your town does not have a Print Book Store, and you order online, your sales does not count in the NYT best seller list.
Guess who lives in small towns without a book dealer ?
Ungh... um... flyover country folk? Those beer-swilling, Bible-thumping, gun-hugging, charity-giving, neighbor-helping, patriotic, country music-loving, Constitution-respecting, states' rights-supporting, rugged individualist neanderthals?
Your usual astute observation.
However, in this case, I think we know what the real reason is.