Harry Potter Casts Spell on CNY Book Retailers

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Jul 14, 2000 by Allen, Paul

SYRACUSE-Christmas came early this year to thousands of Central New York Harty Potter fans, as well as to area bookstore owners and managers who sell the popular children's book series. At exactly 12:01 a.m. on July 8, J.K. Rowling's fourth installment of her Harry Potter series was released in the United States. Within the next hour, when most people were home sleeping, thousands of copies of the newest Harry Potter book were sold in Central New York and hundreds of thousands of dollars changed hands, estimates Marcus Mueller, general manager of Barnes and Noble's Erie Boulevard bookstore in

DeWitt. "I've never seen anything like this before," Mueller says. "The demand for this book is amazing."

Because of the unprecedented demand for the $25.95 hardcover (entitled Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), several bookstores around the area stayed open until I a.m. so they could sell the book as soon as it was officially released. The Barnes and Noble bookstore in DeWitt, which was one of those stores which stayed open until I a.m., helped people waiting in line stay awake by offering free coffee, and entertained the children with games and activities. Maryam Wasmund, community-relations manager at Barnes & Noble, says that there were approximately 600 people waiting in line to get the book. "We expected it to be busy, but we didn't expect that many people. This, really is a phenomenon." Wasmund says the popularity of the series is due, in part, to its strong storyline and universal appeal. "The Harry Potter books aren't geared toward a specific group. They're popular with boys and girls, children and adults. They're fun to read. Even my husband is hooked."

The Borders in Carousel Center and the Media Play stores in Shoppingtown Mail and Northern Lights Plaza stayed open until I a.m., and all three stores reopened early Saturday morning. Waldenbooks stores at the Shoppingtown, Great Northern, and FingerLakes malls also opened early on Saturday. Robert Glisson, manager of Waldenbooks in Shoppingtown Mall, says, "We opened up two hours early because there were so many people waiting outside." He jokes, "I think if we hadn't opened early, and kept those people waiting outside the gates for another two hours, there may have been a riot."

The Harry Potter phenomenon has even reached the smaller, independent bookstores, which typically don't sell as many hardcover bestsellers due to the major chains' deep discounting policies.

The Riverow Bookshop in Owego, which has been in business for more than 24 years, sold out of all 30 of its copies of the new Harry Potter book within hours. But owner John Spencer wasn't enthusiastic about cashing in on the recent literary phenomenon. "Sure, we sold all our copies, but the people who bought them didn't buy anything else. And most people are going to buy it somewhere else where it's discounted to death. That book is being sold everywhere now-it's overkill. We don't even bother with those types of books. They're not good investments."

The River's End bookstore in Oswego opened early on Saturday morning to accommodate the throngs of people waiting to get Rowling's newest book. Owner Bill Reilly says that he has never seen anything like it in all his years in the business. "The line started forming at a little past seven in the morning," says Reilly. "We had more than 200 copies when we opened the doors, and by the time we closed they were all gone-either bought or held for special orders."

Linda Foster, owner of the Bookie, a children's book and toy store in Skaneateles, pre-ordered 55 copies and sold out within hours on Saturday. "It was frustrating not to have enough books to go around. I knew it was going to be popular, but I had no idea how popular." Foster says she has ordered 100 more copies and says she's not overly worried about losing business to the big chains because of their discounting. "Most of our customers are locals and it's easier for them to buy their books here instead of driving into Syracuse."

Even before the book was released, it became the biggest seller in the history of online book sales. Amazon.com spokesperson Cathy Kenny says that nearly 500,000 books were pre-ordered worldwide, making it the biggest selling book in e-tailing history. "It's easily the largest single-item distribution event that has gone on in the history of ecommerce," says Kenny. Scholastic Books, the American publisher of the Harry Potter series, had a first printing of the newest book of 3.8 million copies.

Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products has signed a licensing agreement with Mattel for Harry Potter merchandise, making Mattel the worldwide toy licensee for the literary characters, as well as for the upcoming feature films from Warner Bros. Pictures. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is being developed as a theatrical film for Warner Bros. Pictures and is scheduled for release in November 2001.

"You think this is the pinnacle of Harry Potter mania?" asks Waldenbooks' Glisson. "This is only the beginning."