Cruz bests New York Times | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Sen. Ted Cruz is a New York Times best-selling author after all.

The Times, after refusing to include Cruz’s book, “A Time for Truth,” on its non-fiction hard cover list when it was first released June 30 reversed course and said it has listed it this week, where it is #7 of the top best-sellers in the country.

“Yes, the book will be #7 on the non fiction list when it publishes on Friday,” said Eileen Murphy, spokeswoman for the New York Times in an email to McClatchy.

The Texas senator, who is running for president, mounted a fierce campaign against the Times for saying that it did not include his book because there were bulk sales that did not meet its standards for making the list. Cruz’s publisher, HarperCollins, weighed in, denying there were bulk sales. Cruz also suggested that there was an ideological agenda at play and that the liberal Times did not want to promote a conservative author, which the news outlet denied.

Although the newspaper included Cruz’s book this week on its list, Murphy did not back off from earlier statements.

“This week's NYT best seller list was arrived at using the same process as last week's - and the week before that. That process involves a careful analysis of data, and is not influenced in any way by the content of a book, or by pressure from publishers or book sellers,” said Murphy.

“Our approach serves Times readers by authenticating broadly popular books through the confidential reporting of a wide range of retailers. In order to avoid compromising that process, we do not disclose who reports sales to us,” she said.

Cruz campaign spokesman Rick Tyler said in a statement: "What’s transpired at the New York Times in the last two weeks raises troubling questions that should concern any author. The Times’ position has been disputed by a major publishing house, and by the two largest booksellers in the nation (Amazon and Barnes & Noble.)”

“The New York Times has a responsibility to authors and readers to have the Public Editor Margaret Sullivan examine its methodology — and we join others in calling for the Times to do just that," he said.