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Harry Potter book sales are magically soaring despite calls for author JK Rowling’s boycott over her transvisions
- Publisher Bloomsbury hopes for a bumper holiday season led by Harry Potter
- Sales of the boy wizard’s adventures have skyrocketed despite the author’s boycott call
- JK Rowling has been criticized by some quarters for her transgender views
- Despite this, sales of the hugely popular books about the world-famous young wizard were up 35 percent by the first half of 2022.
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Sales of Harry Potter books have magically soared this year, despite calls for a boycott from author JK Rowling over her views on transgender issues.
Publisher Bloomsbury said sales of the hugely popular books about the world-famous young wizard were up 35 percent in the first half of 2022.
By comparison, sales rose five percent from the beginning of the year to February 28.
Publisher Bloomsbury said sales of the hugely popular books about the world-famous young wizard were up 35 percent in the first half of 2022.
Potter fans this year celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of the first book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
And Bloomsbury hopes for a ‘great’ Christmas as shoppers looking for cheaper gifts turn to books. The Potter publisher said an illustrated version of The Philosopher’s Stone will be a bestseller this festive period.
But Rowling has come under fire for her criticism of gender ideology, which came into the limelight with a 2020 essay that sparked calls from some to boycott her work.
As a result, she has been branded “terf” (trans-exclusion radical feminist), “transphobic” and “fascist” – which she denies. On the other hand, she has amassed a loyal group of supporters who defend her views and the right to express them.
Despite the boycott calls, Bloomsbury said sales of the Potter books have soared.
“Harry Potter continues to do tremendous good in spreading the love of reading among children,” said Bloomsbury chief executive Nigel Newton. The Telegraph. “I’m just concerned about getting Harry Potter into the hands of readers, and there are more of them than ever.”
The publisher revealed record sales and profits for the six months to August 31. Turnover in the period was £123 million, 22 percent higher than a year earlier.
Bestseller: Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe star in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the film adaptation of Rowling’s famous novel
And the profit was £16 million, up 23 percent from last year. Shares rose 9.8 percent, or 40p, to 448.5p. The company has seen sales and profits soar since the pandemic hit as lockdowns boosted the demand for literature.
Newton said the interest in reading sparked during the lockdowns has continued as those who had given up reading “were reminded of the joy of it”.
As for other books, Bloomsbury said Kamila Shamsie’s novel Best Of Friends and Tom Kerridge’s Real Life Recipes cookbook will fly off the shelves.
Newton said: “The public will flock to bookstores because they avoid more expensive Christmas gifts.”