Although Scholastic sold nearly 11 million copies of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE in the U.S., The Independant reports that the publisher printed too many copies…and is facing returns of about 2.5 million unsold books.
The company ordered 10.8 million copies of Half-Blood Prince, the largest
print run in the history of publishing. "We wanted enough books out there so
every single fan could get a book when they wanted it," explained Scholastic’s
Kyle Good. "This was the number we came up with in collaboration with the
retailers."Buoyed by the news that Half-Blood Prince had sold 6.9 million copies in the
first 24 hours, 1.9 million more than on the first day of the previous Potter
tome, Scholastic promptly ordered a further 2.7 million copies, bringing the
total to 13.5 million."This is a cause for celebration, not just for Scholastic but for book lovers
everywhere," chirped Lisa Holton, the president of Scholastic Children’s Books,
at the time.Now, Scholastic’s chairman, Richard Robinson, whose father Robbie founded the
firm in 1920, admits bookshops have been left with 2.5 million unsold
copies.Mr Robinson told book-trade analysts he had no plans for accepting large numbers
of returned books. He expects that the release in the US of the film Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire on 18 November will generate renewed interest in
the series and mop up the overrun.
It would be nice if they’d donate those copies to schools. I wish I had a class set of that book to use with my students.
It’s an excellent book, by the way.
Trouble in Hogwart
The Independent reports (thanks to Lee Goldberg for bringing this to my attention!):
The company ordered 10.8 million copies of Half-Blood Prince, the largest print run in the history of publishing. We wanted enough books out there so every si…
When you consider that returns of 40 or 50% are not uncommon for many books, 2.5 million — while large in magnitude — is 18.5% (2.5/13.5) and in the very strange financial world of publishing, respectable.
Of course, when you’re selling your product on consignment like a second-hand clothing store, you ought to wonder where the hell your marbles went.