The new Harry Potter book sold an astonishing 6.9 million copies in its first 24 hours, smashing the US record held by the previous Potter release. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince averaged better than 250,000 sales per hour, more than the vast majority of books sell in a lifetime.
"This is a cause for celebration, not just for Scholastic, but for book lovers everywhere," said Lisa Holton, president of Scholastic Children's Books, author J.K. Rowling's US publisher.
Sales for the sixth installment of Rowling's fantasy series easily outpaced those for Potter V, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which came out in 2003 and sold 5 million copies in the first 24 hours.
PHOTO: AFP
NO MORE BOOKS
Acknowledging that some stores quickly ran out of books two years ago, Scholastic has already increased the print run for Half-Blood Prince from 10.8 million copies to 13.5 million.
The Scholastic numbers are for the US only.
Anticipated from the moment fans finished Potter V, the new book has been available virtually everywhere, from price clubs and supermarkets to the Scholastic Web site. Holton said on Sunday that a big factor in the new sales record was a six-fold increase in the number of Potter bookstore parties, from 800 to 5,000, with both superstores and independent retailers dramatically increasing their participation.
Even allowing for deep discounts on the US$29.99 release, Half-Blood Prince still easily generated more than US$100 million in revenue. It's not only the richest opening in publishing history, but tops the combined estimated take for the weekend's top two movies, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Wedding Crashers.
"When a book beats out movies, we're in great shape," Holton said.
Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble Inc. estimated 1.3 million US sales for the book in its first 48 hours, around 400,000 higher than for the first 48 hours of Potter V. Rival superstore chain Borders Group Inc reported a record 850,000 Potter sales worldwide in the first day, 100,000 greater than for the debut of Order of the Phoenix.
USED COPIES
Although the book only went on sale midnight Saturday, some have already decided to pass their copies on to others. Used editions, for as little as US$15.94, were available through eBay, Amazon.com and Alibris.com, which has been offering US$5, plus postage, for used copies.
Unlike most blockbusters, Harry and the Half-Blood Prince is also a hit with critics, getting raves from The New York Times, the Seattle Times, The Associated Press and others. Many found it Rowling's deepest, most accomplished work, with a tragic conclusion that left even reviewers in tears.
A dissenting opinion came from the San Francisco Chronicle, where David Kipen observed of the 600-plus page novel: "A major character dies by the end of the latest Harry Potter book; readers who bore easily may feel a bit done in themselves.
"It's not that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is dull, exactly ... No, the main problem is that J.K. Rowling has now written six of these bricks. Even if they were getting better, they're certainly not getting any fresher."
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique