The Bookseller.com

8th September 2008

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Booksellers get Potter lift

07.08.08 Catherine Neilan

Booksellers are preparing themselves for an unexpected Harry Potter extravaganza after the boy wizard’s creator J K Rowling announced the publication of spin-off title, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in time for Christmas.

The release has already sparked a price war, with Waterstone’s going head-to-head with Amazon over the standard edition—both retailers have cut the price from £6.99 to £3.49. Amazon has pledged that it will not be making any money from the sale of the books, and is donating £20 for every £50 special edition sold. But it is unclear whether other retailers will follow suit.

Although unable to match the price offered by Waterstone’s and Amazon, independent booksellers said they planned to support the launch.

Georgina Hanratty, manager of the south London-based shop Tales on Moon Lane, said she was already taking pre-orders, but had not yet decided whether to offer a discount: “We will possibly do something similar to our Harry Potter deal, where people who pre-order and pay upfront get a voucher, but we haven’t made the decision yet.”

Vivian Archer, manager of the Newham Bookshop, said she was unlikely to offer more than a £1 discount.  “At Christmas time, people won’t think twice about it—they will just pick it up with everything else,” she said. “I am confident we will sell lots.”

The £50 special edition is already the bestselling book on Amazon.co.uk, with the paperback in second place.

Bloomsbury, Scholastic (US) and Amazon are printing and distributing three different editions, with “net proceeds”, expected to be £4m, going to Rowling’s charity the Children’s High Level Group.  The collection of short stories goes on sale on 4th December.

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