Comments
The impending launch of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child — the eighth instalment in the Harry Potter series — has sent fans into a frenzy, with e-commerce platforms and bookstores reporting the highest-ever pre-order registrations, and there being a spike in sales of earlier editions featuring the boy wizard.
“This has been one of our biggest pre-orders ever, and has received maximum pre-bookings this year,” an Amazon.in spokesperson said. Pre-booking opened on February 17 and was one of the longest books on pre-order for the platform.
Harry Potter books are about 5-10 per cent of the e-tailer’s monthly sales of children’s and young adult books. The new book reportedly boosted sales of earlier books by almost 25 per cent.
“We are doing an extensive multi-channel marketing campaign leading up to the launch. We are also planning to deliver the book on the day of the release itself to a select set of lucky customers. Post launch we will be coming up with some exciting contests to sustain the excitement around the book,” the spokesperson added.
“The expectation for the latest book is high; it is reflected in the sale of other books too as new readers want to know of the plot before the eighth book,” an official from books-and-stationery retailer Starmark said. Though Harry Potter books are prime sellers, the hype around the new book has increased the sales by 30 per cent, he said.
A senior official from Hachette, publisher of the latest instalment, said 1.6 lakh copies will distributed in India and will be available for sale at stores from 11.30 am on July 31.
Harry Potter fans all over India are ecstatic about the new book, which releases nine years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . “I grew up reading Harry Potter and can’t wait to lay my hands on the latest copy, which I have pre-ordered. Right now, I’m re-reading the books,” says 27-year-old Sangeetha E.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set 19 years after the end of the seventh part and chronicles a grown-up Harry’s relationship with his second son Albus. Little else is known about the plot of the book, which is co-authored by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.