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EUK made a one-off delivery of J K Rowling's Harry Potter spin-off The Tales of Beedle the Bard earlier this week, ensuring supermarket customers including Tesco and Sainsbury's were fully stocked for today's launch.
Bloomsbury told The Bookseller earlier this week that it was "confident" delivery would take place, though refused to give details. It is now understood that the book's charitable status had a hand in the exceptional delivery of this one title. All other books remain on hold at EUK distribution depots as publishers and the administrator of EUK work out a deal.
Tesco received a "six-figure" number of copies during Monday, which were then distributed throughout the bookselling stores. It is selling for £3.49, slightly less than half price, as it is in Waterstone's, W H Smiths and Amazon. Borders is selling it for £4.99. W H Smith has also offered the book for 99p to customers spending £15 or other products.
Meanwhile, independent bookshops have reported a slow start to sales of the new book. "It's nothing like the usual Harry Potter pandemonium," said Marilyn Brocklehurst of the Norfolk Children's Book Centre. Alex Milne-White of Hungerford Books said that he had yet to sell one copy of the title. "It might pick up," he said, "but it's a bit of a non event at the moment".
Indies were however optimistic that the weekend would bring more sales. Anna Dreda of Wenlock Books said: "We've got our Christmas fair at the weekend and I think it will be the bestselling book of the day. It's definitely going to be one for Christmas - it's going to be a stocking filler."