I`m reading "Culture Clash" by Don Letts. Not a magic spell in sight but excellent.

I've never seen anything like it Mart.
Everybody, including myself, is nose deep into Harry Potter.
Bus shelters, trains, planes, airports, parks... phenomenal.
Interesting to note the kids favour the Adult cover; adults are reading the Kids one (I bought the Adult - prettier - which did YOU buy?).

I reckon this is the closest it's been to Charles Dickens! When everyone must have been reading the latest installment.

I resisted!

I'm reading "The Life and Death of Tony Hancock" by Cliff Goodwin. Harry Potter simply doesn't interest me at all. I was in Liverpool city centre yesterday and JKs' observation is applicable here as well since almost everywhere you look there were people with THAT book, several even trying to read it as they walked which is a rare sight indeed. Extraordinary seeing so many go crazy over a book. I take great heart in it knowing there are many healthy readers out there since it's good to read!

Yes it is a total, absolute phenomenon and needs examining by anyone worried about the music industry.

I believe the answer is simple.

If it's good (and JK Rowling is brilliant, whether or not she's to your taste) it can still be huge.

End of story.

I'd say it's more a case of J K Rowling's promotion and marketing people who are brilliant. Her first book was a bit ordinary, but was well hyped and lead to a major franchise. I've read much better books which haven't had anything like the same promotion.

However, if it gets people reading again, I've no problems with it at all.

I'm currently into 'The Deadstone Memorial' by Trevor Baxendale.

After a brief visit to Tesco, I do agree that the adult cover looks better.More like a Pullman book.
Incidently, the book is

I have to disagree with you Cat; having worked on promotion and marketing on hundreds of products, the trick is picking those with genuine populist appeal and, for me, the Potter franchise had it from Day One.

At the end of the day, only the very best take off like this - and Dickens - and Shakespeare - and Stephen King.

Cat's point still stands.

JK has (apparently) improved and refined her writing - more a case for developing an act.

Granted you have to have a good author/artiste to begin with but giving them some time to expand and explore pays dividends.

I think I raised this subject a few weeks back, if I did I shall re-iterate anyway.

There are many great writers, but not so many great writer story tellers.
I thouroughly enjoy Stephen Kings` tales and the stories of Dean Kootz, but the quality of writing is yards apart, between them, although the sales figures are probably closer than one would think.
James Patterson tells a good yarn as well, but you could hardly quote from any of the works.

Re; Cats point, I seem to recall the struggle to get the first Potter book published was rather lengthy, so I certainly didn`t think she(JK) had a marketing plan in mind at the time, herself.
The list of books over the last 150 years suitable for adults and children(to genuinely enjoy) is rather low.

Perhaps not an example of good business after-all?

"In the last financial year in which no Harry Potter book was released, Bloomsbury's profits dropped by 75%"

(From Wikipedia entry - so may be quite inaccurate)

re Wikipedia; thats another site I find quite hard to contribute to. I sussed out Last FM finally, but most of Wiki still eludes me.

Anything that gets kids reading is good, but I'd sooner them be reading some Terry Pratchet. I still say the Potter books owe so much to Tolkien, Dahl, CS Lewis...