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Journalism of Courage
JK Rowling8217;s latest offering leaves Kolkata cold
It has been a more than a year since the concluding Potter book came out to an almost frenzied city. Serpentine queues in front of bookshops, impatient and irritable kids shepherding their weary parents across bookshops and books flying of the shelves, the fateful July morning in 2007 witnessed scenes that even book-crazy Kolkata hadn8217;t experienced so far . Which is why the fact that the latest magical tome by J.K. Rowling hasn8217;t exactly flown off the bookstore shelves, even after a week of its release is a quite the surprise. 8220;We have received no pre-orders for this book. This is after all not a Potter book,8221; smiles Ram Shankar Saha of Oxford Bookstore.
Recession-hit booksellers hoped the book will give them a festive boost. 8220;When it comes to JK Rowling, none of the usual rules apply,8221; says a spokesperson of Crossword Bookstore. This time, however, the lady disappointed them. 8220;It8217;s not really doing all that well. We have hardly sold any copies and there have been hardly any enquires,8221; claims Ashok Burman of Family Bookshop. The fact that no publicity blitzkrieg surrounded the release of the book, may have hampered its business. 8220;There has hardly been any publicity for the book, possibly because it is not exactly a Potter book. Not many people know that it has already released,8221; claims Saha.
The price of the book seems to be another issue. 8220;People don8217;t want to pay Rs 600 for a slim 100-page book,8221; states Burman.
Rowling is donating her royalties to the Children8217;s High Level Group, a charity she co-founded to support institutionalized children in Eastern Europe. The book is published on behalf of the charity by Harry Potter8217;s traditional publishers 8211; Scholastic in North America and Bloomsbury elsewhere.
