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APRIL 10, 2006 at 11:12 PM
Posted by CHEESER
Source: Guardian Unlimited via Yahoo! News
The success of Harry Potter has made British publisher Bloomsbury the most cash-rich in its industry, writes The Guardian's Matt Seaton in an in-depth company analysis
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With more than £50 million in its Gringott's vault, Bloomsbury is spending heavily to nab high-profile books from under the noses of competitors, in an effort to ensure that Potter's demise isn't also the end of their golden years:
The fact that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the latest and sixth in the series, is also the penultimate cannot have escaped the attention of Bloomsbury's shareholders. Newton talks about sustaining the franchise with "launches" of Harry Potter products (audiobooks, cloth-bound boxed sets, and so on) until 2011, but the truth is that after the final volume of JK Rowling's series appears, probably in 2007 and then in paperback in 2008, the company has just three more years of mega-bucks revenues.
Company executives are confident they can continue to deliver big returns to stockholders, post-Potter. Founding editor Liz Calder said "the heart and soul" of the publisher will continue to be driven by mass-interest novels, both fiction and non-fiction, but its new strategy will be: "big names, big money."
"We have made a number of big purchases in the last six months," said Nigel Newton, Bloomsbury's chairman. "We're in a position to do so."
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226-250 251-269
Head Girl
Points: 480
sneha_luvs_ron says:
Bloomsbury could be in trouble without Jo!!
LOVE U RON
Posted Apr 24, 2006 at 5:37 AM EST
Muggle
Points: 22
lezleypotter says:
Well i probley will still be buying stuff by then but i think by that time i might be a little to old to have harry potter stuff i my house after all i will be what 26 years old so go luck to them in there success.
Posted Apr 24, 2006 at 9:00 AM EST
Auror
Points: 4080
RON's all up in heRmiONe says:
They must be one of the richest publishing companies out there, I don't know. Why would they stop selling Harry Potter books in the year 2011? Kids that haven't heard of Harry Potter might come across a book, start reading it and love it.
Posted Apr 24, 2006 at 12:32 PM EST
Witch
Points: 881
Just Dance says:
I'll be very very sad after I have finished reading the final book of the Harry Potter Series.. I love The Harry Potter Novels Soo much the thought of not having another potter book to look forward to would be Devestating.. I have mixed feelings about wanting the seventh book released .. A part of me cannot wait for the next addition to the series so i can keep on reading and find out the answers to the many theories and clues that come along with Harry potter .. Although at the Same time A part of me Is not looking foreward to the thought of a END.
I just dont want to look up from my book after the last chapter in book seven and have to say.. " Thats it... No more Harry potter..."
<3 Nicole
Posted Apr 24, 2006 at 6:02 PM EST
Prince Charming
Points: 8429
Knight and Shining Armor says:
That good to hear about how well the publishing company is doing off of the sales of the Harry Potter books. hehehehee
Posted Apr 24, 2006 at 8:13 PM EST
Student
Points: 228
Jlgrigsby says:
Im glad the books are selling good. I LOVE DANIEL!
Posted Apr 27, 2006 at 8:33 AM EST
Witch
Points: 750
magna says:
I never really thought about the end of the books being bad for Blumsberry. They were lucky to grab JK in the first place!!
Posted Apr 27, 2006 at 9:29 PM EST
Witch
Points: 633
snakeeyes says:
Oh, that's depressing. One way to show us once again that our favourite saga is coming to a close! Still, don't envy Bloomsbury, since they can actually see the end to their current high-life if they don't find some really big sells. I may not have any money, but at least I don't have any to lose!
Posted Apr 28, 2006 at 5:04 PM EST
Witch
Points: 649
Spell_Bound says:
I can't say that i feel sorry for this multi-million dollar company. I'm sure they will pick up another writer. Maybe not as popular as Jo. But its not like they're going to go bankrupt. They have to have a back up plan for when she's done with the series. Otherwise that wouldn't be very good business ethics, they could send themselves to the ground. And in that case, again I don't feel sorry for them.
Posted Apr 30, 2006 at 8:32 PM EST
Head Boy
Points: 470
eater says:
Cool more harry potter stuff after the seventh book how cool will that be i might buy some of that stuff peace out.
Posted Apr 30, 2006 at 10:28 PM EST
Auror
(Moderator)
Points: 2484
Since the Start says:
Only £50? I thought they would have hauled in a lot more than that by now... I know that's about $100 million Canadian (or $91 million US), but that's still not as much as I thought they'd have made from 6 Potter books. Anyway, I hope Bloomsbury finds a way to keep up their success after Harry Potter seeing as they were the first publisher to actually buy JK's work... if they hadn't agreed, would JK have ever found a publisher? Would we have Harry Potter?
Posted May 1, 2006 at 2:52 PM EST
Wizard
Points: 628
Ronian says:
Bloomsbury is very lucky right now, but i do sense that Book 7 will be the end for them!
Posted May 14, 2006 at 12:25 PM EST
Wizard
Points: 628
Ronian says:
Bloomsbury is very lucky right now, but i do sense that Book 7 will be the end for them! Thats too bad, but they might make an HP encyclopedia or somthing like that or all 7 books in a HUGE bible!
Posted May 14, 2006 at 12:28 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 39
crup lover450 says:
I don't think that Ginny will die in book 7 because she has already been in a life threatening experience.
Posted Jun 8, 2006 at 2:58 PM EST
Auror
Points: 3647
Anastasia Popovick says:
While book seven may be the end of the JKR HP novels, I'm sure there will be many wants for HP merchandise. And anniversaries are great times for re-releases, special versions, cutting room floor clips, out takes, and many other money making ideas. I think we'll have more HP to talk about in the years to come.
Posted Jun 16, 2006 at 11:10 PM EST
Witch
Points: 844
~Silver Potion~ says:
Hey, I'm glad that the publisher who was brilliant enough to publish the Potter series has been rewarded for it's genious. Thanks to them, Rowling got published!
Posted Jul 3, 2006 at 10:49 PM EST
The Jedi Who Says Ni!
Points: 6695
Jel E.Bean says:
man I wish I had a crystalball and could see to buy in this company but alas the ball has dropped.
best wishes to the publishers and JKR many more series in the future please!
Posted Jul 30, 2006 at 10:38 PM EST
Magical Music Professor
Points: 4812
MagicalMusicDreamer says:
This business sounds pretty complicated. Bloomsbury has a big surplus of money so they are investing in their future. That sounds intelligent. I think it would be hard to predict the public's future reading taste, but I guess they have to.
Posted Sep 12, 2006 at 6:28 PM EST
Rickmaniac to the Core
Points: 2564
snaily says:
"We have made a number of big purchases in the last six months," said Nigel Newton, Bloomsbury's chairman.
I wonder what those BIG purchases are!
Posted Mar 8, 2008 at 1:38 AM EST
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