Why writers never reveal how many books their buddies have sold.

One From Slate on BookScan. In the hands of journalists and polemicists, BookScan data has becomes a blunt instrument to humiliate, minimize accomplishments, and express joy at the misfortune of other writers.
There’s an etiquette to BookScanning. You BookScan your enemies to take joy in their failure or to aggravate the agony you feel at their success. You don’t BookScan your buddies, your colleagues, or your editors.