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Harry Potter hot in Australia -
Summary:
Young wizard sells five times his nearest rival
Article:
Thanks to
Wizardnews
Harry Potter's spell over the Australian reading public continued last year when the fifth instalment of the young wizard's adventures topped the bestseller lists, outstripping its nearest rival by almost 650,000 copies.
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix sold 787,720 copies in the year to December 27, according to figures released yesterday by Neilsen BookScan Australia, which surveys more than 1000 booksellers around the country. The value of Order of the Phoenix sales was $22.95 million, more than the combined value of the other nine titles. It had an average price of $29.13, discounted from its $45 recommended price.
Andrew Wilkins, editor of The Australian Bookseller and Publisher, said the figures were a tribute to the enormous brand built around Harry Potter. "It's not just the new book but the backlist as well," he said.
Three of the top 10 sellers were Potter titles. The Goblet of Fire, which was published in 2000, sold 105,517 copies worth $1.4 million and 1999's Prisoner of Azkaban sold 105,146 copies. Potter books occupied five of the top six places in the best-selling children's books list, with the most popular Australian title, Zombie Bums from Uranus by Melbourne author Andy Griffiths, coming in seventh with sales of 56,085, closely followed by Melina Marchetta's Saving Francesca (53,707).
Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Kitchen, published in 2002, topped the food and drink category with sales of 47,719.
