tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28055791.post5072094351532495591..comments2023-11-05T03:27:12.113-08:00Comments on The Watchers: The Future of Hockey SiteUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28055791.post-52013621303243611182007-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:002007-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:00Oh thanks, Anonymous, for that informative reply. ...Oh thanks, Anonymous, for that informative reply. I think I shall make a post out of that.The Gatekeeperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16753211099571666592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28055791.post-30633780762417525652007-07-24T13:56:00.000-07:002007-07-24T13:56:00.000-07:00WH Smith find surprise competitor to Harry Potter....WH Smith find surprise competitor to Harry Potter.<BR/> <BR/>British book chain WH Smith are dancing in the aisles today as figures for the first days sale of Harry Potter Deathly Hallows came racing in. Not only did they achieve an astounding result for the much anticipated final book of the Potter series, they also had an unexpected success from a surprising source.<BR/> <BR/>It was a thing of Muggle magic gone mad.Over TWENTY THOUSAND copies of a back catalogue paperback flew out of the 600 stores in the WH Smith chain in FIVE HOURS as if Harry himself had put a 'sellemquick' spell over them. <BR/> <BR/>Ransacked by house-elves<BR/>To the surprise of staff, copies of Wormwood by GP Taylor disappeared as if an army of marauding shop lifting Dobby elves had ransacked the stores. The nearest top selling paperback was High School Musical which had only sold four thousand copies nationally in a WEEK.<BR/> <BR/>Wormwood had been chosen by book executives at WH Smith as 'The Perfect Partner for Harry Potter.' A candidate in the scramble to see which children's series will now compete with JK Rowling's famous offspring. Originally published by the prestigious Faber and Faber in 2004, Wormwood has already been a best seller. A Faber official said 'to sell 20 thousand in a year would be good, but in a DAY is amazing.' The figures make Wormwood a #1 British paperback for the 2nd time around...<BR/> <BR/>GP Taylor has already gone "toe to toe" with JK Rowling - 15 weeks at the top of the paperback charts while the Potter author was the best seller in hardback. For battling it out with the Queen of Scotland he gained the title 'Hotter than Potter and has since been dubbed by the BBC as 'the new CS Lewis.'<BR/> <BR/>Mariah Mundi to keep cashtills ringing.<BR/>Now that JK Rowling has signed off her final instalment of Harry Potter, GP Taylor will be prominent among the contenders to take over her mantle. Speculation is growing that Taylor's Mariah Mundi and The Midas Box may be the book series to entertain children and adults alike and bring life after Harry Potter. The Sunday Times listed Taylor as a possible candidate as did the BBC on the same day Potter was released. "And when Harry Potter hangs up his wizard's cloak, booksellers will be looking to GP Taylor's autumn release, Mariah Mundi - The Midas Box, to keep the cashtills ringing." said a report by Sean Coughlin of BBC online. <BR/> <BR/>'Like the Potter books, the Mariah Mundi stories will be a seven-part series, with publishers Faber and Faber buying up the books with a "seven figure deal". <BR/>But GP Taylor says it's time to draw a line under the fantasy and wizardry of the Potter years - and his new book offers "grit" rather than dragons. <BR/><BR/><BR/>It will be a whodunnit, set in a hotel in the north east of England, with a boy and girl as the lead characters - both outsiders, presented with an edge of realism rather than magic.' <BR/><BR/>The Vicar, exorcist and former night club bouncer said,' I am sure the critics will hate it and the children and adults will love it. We have already had significant film interest in the book and those who have read it have really enjoyed it.' So far, librarians who have been usually hostile to Taylor's dark writing have been pleasantly surprised by the change in style and the use of humor in Mariah Mundi.<BR/> <BR/>In the space of a week, news items and bloggers around the world were promoting GP Taylor and Mariah Mundi as a successor to Harry Potter. He said, "This summer is going to be the biggest event in children's literature - no matter who replaces her, we'll never see these times again." <BR/> <BR/> <BR/>Related Stories.<BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/>http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/display.var.1567121.0.0.php<BR/> <BR/>http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/education/6901455.stmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com