Did Stassi Schroeder Buy Her Way Onto the ‘New York Times’ Bestseller List?

When the New York Times believes a book made its bestseller list through suspicious means (typically bulk orders placed by those with a stake in the book’s success) it notes its suspicion with a bitchy little dagger: (†).

We love the dagger, of course, because it’s fun to gossip with symbols, but it can be embarrassing for authors who would rather celebrate their false success without someone telling on them. Fans have noticed that former Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder is one of the dagger’s most recent victims, with her new release Off With My Head.

In the first slide of the post, Stassi reacts to a call that she’s made the list. In the second slide we see the list itself with a red circle around her book, which came in at No. 8. To the right of the publisher’s name, (Gallery), you’ll notice the tell-tale dagger. A stunning betrayal, particularly for a woman so interested in Halloween-related imagery.

“Holy sh*t. Off With My Head is a New York Times Bestseller!!! Omg,” Schroeder captioned the post. “It feels freaking unreal to be recognized twice… and please ignore the foils. Being blonde is high maintenance. #owmh 😭😭😭”

And, yes, we’ll have to dig into how “it feels freaking unreal to be recognized twice.” This is a reference to the fact that her first book, Next Level Basic, also made the Times’ bestseller list in its first week in 2019, coming in at No. 3. However, wah-wah, a look back on that accomplishment also shows the dreaded blade.

So why is there hubbub now, where there wasn’t then? Likely because, as former Vanderpump Rules cast member Faith Stowers seemed to point out on Instagram, this is a book primarily about bouncing back after being canceled. And the reason for Schroeder’s cancellation (and her dismissal from the show) was a racist act against Stowers. Not as cute a premise as Next Level Basic, a book primarily about how she likes hot dogs and terrible musicals.

Oh, well. Off with her head, indeed. (†)