HarperCollins reports on ASoIaF's success in the UK

[Werthead]

Interesting report here on the book series' sales in the UK.

HarperCollins Voyager published it's 1 millionth copy of the series earlier this year (for comparison, Bantam passed 1 million copies of A Game of Thrones by itself late last year, IIRC, but their market is six times larger). It has also sold 50,000 copies of the ebooks. Voyager are publishing 100,000 copies of A Dance with Dragons in hardcover (which is garguantuan, by UK standards) and have taken over 15,000 pre-orders for the book.

Last week alone, ASoIaF shifted 43,000 copies in the UK, which is more than the 40,000 copies sold in the entirety of 2010 (sprays tea over monitor). A quarter of a million copies have been sold this year alone. Sales of the book last week were 6,120% of the same level last year.

Waterstones Piccadilly will apparently have an Iron Throne on hand from 9-14 July as part of their marketing efforts.

Obviously this is down to the success of the TV series, apart from the slight problem that the TV series has only been seen by a tiny number of people in the UK. So I'd expect those sales to rise once the DVDs come out next year.

[GreyJackal]

:cool4: Cooooooooooool

[Snowy89]

6120% :P

How sick is that..

[PestilencE]

holy shit nice!

[Knight Of The North]

A local example:

Before Game of Thrones, my Dad rarely read anything except old Sci-fi fiction (Asimov, Heinlein, Anderson, Ringworld, etc). My Mother read sappy Crime Thrillers by Kathy Reichs, and supposed classics such as Ian Rankin's The Flood. My brother got through The Forever War and never really went further.

They all have now read the entirety of A Song of Ice and Fire, my Mum is reading In The Name of The Wind, my brother is trying to get my First Law Trilogy off me (No way in hell). My Dad has dug out all his old fantasy novels and is rereading the Gormenghast series.

'Tis but a snowflake in an avalanche, but ut's a good example of the sheer influence the TV series has had.

[mr. peasant]

A local example:

Before Game of Thrones, my Dad rarely read anything except old Sci-fi fiction (Asimov, Heinlein, Anderson, Ringworld, etc). My Mother read sappy Crime Thrillers by Kathy Reichs, and supposed classics such as Ian Rankin's The Flood. My brother got through The Forever War and never really went further.

They all have now read the entirety of A Song of Ice and Fire, my Mum is reading In The Name of The Wind, my brother is trying to get my First Law Trilogy off me (No way in hell). My Dad has dug out all his old fantasy novels and is rereading the Gormenghast series.

'Tis but a snowflake in an avalanche, but ut's a good example of the sheer influence the TV series has had.

Hey, don't knock Kathy Reichs' novels. They're pretty accurate in terms of scientific detail - which is unsurprising seeing as how she's a world-class forensic anthropologist and most of the cases are based on her past experience. And she was the inspiration for the show, Bones. ;)

As for the phenomenal rise in ASoIaF sales, I think it's a culmination of the TV series, the upcoming new release and the protracted time between novels (2005 was the last one, and 2000 was when things started losing steam). So, there's a whole new generation of readers being introduced to the series; especially with the heightened media awareness courtesy of the show.

[ferthepoet]

I'm so happy, for about 10 years I had not been able to find anyone outside the internet who had even heard of ASOIAF now all my friends watch the show and some are also reading the books.

[BarrileteCosmico]

I wonder just how much money GRRM has been able to make off this

//businessmajor

[Law Lord]

Im surprised GRRM's series wasn't as well known as i would expect it to be prior to the release of the tv series. In my opinion, it definitely belongs in the modern day equivalent of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I do feel it is epic enough, and oh so real. I really do hope the series becomes huge news.