The Bookseller.com

2nd December 2008

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'Manic' Thursday for bookshops

02.10.08 Victoria Gallagher

Booksellers have been feeling the impact of Super Thursday today as dozens of top titles were released on the same day. A host of new books from the likes of Dawn French, Julie Walters and Jonny Wilkinson have left booksellers scurrying around attempting to unpack stacks of boxes, calling the day "manic" and "mad".

The Guardian devoted its page 3 to the story, after last week's report in The Bookseller. Both Waterstone's and W H Smith took out half page ads in the newspaper featuring discounted offers on many of the titles.

Across many bookshops, displays were changing in order to promote the selection of new titles. "We're mad because we've got to get everything onto the shop floor," said Adele Geddes, sales assistant at WH Smiths, Oxford Street, "it's brilliant though."

"This is what Super Thursday means for us," said Sally Hughes of the Books for Cooks bookshop in Notting Hill, unveiling a tower of unopened boxes. "They arrived last night, but we haven't been able to put them all out yet."

Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson's new cookery books were both singled out as potential bestsellers, along with Michael Parkinson's biography, Parky. The chatshow host's biography has already gone in at number one on the W H Smith in-store chart.

"Christmas has come early for definite, it's very exciting," said Yoav Hessayon, inventory manager at Borders on Charing Cross Road. "It's such a great day. It's good to get people back in the store, it's wonderful."

However, not all bookshops had noted a rush and some booksellers had not previously heard of Super Thursday. One bookseller said that it might take time for customers to buy the new books, as people might be frightened of thinking about Christmas titles too early.

Book signings are taking place at a variety of stores in an effort to publicise the new titles with a selection of promotions also on offer.

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