28 Aug 2011 23:36:27
The print run is greater than the combined totals for two other likely blockbusters: Rick Riordan's "Heroes of Olympus" (3 million copies) and Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance" (2.5 million), the fourth and final book of his "Inheritance" fantasy cycle. The "Wimpy Kid" series has more than 45 million copies in print and the new book has already reached the top 20 on Amazon.com. Independent sellers say customers have been pre-ordering "Cabin Fever" for months.
"Those books fly off the shelves like candy," says Becky Anderson, co-owner of the two Illinois-based Anderson's Bookshops. "It's great to see kids open the new books and immediately start laughing."
"They're like the 'Harry Potter' books in that they appeal to kids who don't necessarily love reading," says Peter Glassman, owner of Books of Wonder in New York. "And when you do that, you reach a tremendous audience."
The e-revolution so far has been more for the old than for the young.
Officials at Rowling's American publisher, Scholastic Inc., and Kinney's publisher, Abrams Books, both say e-sales for children's titles are 5 percent or less of the total market, with at least some of those purchases by adults who like "The Hunger Games" and other works popular with kids.
Glassman, who cites parents' reluctance to let kids handle e-readers, says his business has been far more affected by physical books being purchased online than by electronic books. Michael Jacobs, president and CEO of Abrams, says he is still relying on physical outlets, from independent stores to school fairs to discount chains such as Target. He says Kinney and Abrams are thinking hard about releasing the "Wimpy Kid" series electronically, but that the vast majority of fans prefer paper.
"The market is developing and growing for children's e-books, but it doesn't compare to the market for adult best-sellers," says Jacobs, who also notes the distinctive design of the "Wimpy Kid" books, compact and heavily illustrated hardcovers. "The look and feel of the books means a lot to sales. I always think of this photo we have of about 15 or 16 boys, sitting on a floor with the books, after picking them up at a school fair."
Big sales are expected for several children's releases, including Maurice Sendak's "Bumble-Ardy," the first book he has written and illustrated in decades, and the first two installments from a new "39 Clues" series. Brian Selznick has a new novel, "Wonderstruck," and his award-winning "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" has been adapted into a Martin Scorsese film due just before Thanksgiving. Author-filmmaker William Joyce starts his new "Guardians of Childhood" series with "The Man in the Moon."
