Twilight Series Eclipses Potter Records



Read the text and answer the questions by circling the correct alternative—a, b, or c.

Twilight Series Eclipses Potter Records

Author Meyer owns Best-Selling Books list

By Carol Memmott and Mary Cadden

USA TODAY Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Stephenie Meyer’s four-book Twilight series has sunk into USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list—with no signs of letting go. Meyer’s domination of the list for the past 12 months has smashed records that until now had belonged to J.K. Rowling.

Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the teen-vampire romance series, entered the list at No. 1 on Aug. 2, 2008. Its sales and those of Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, the first three books, have remained staggering.

This week, Meyer’s novels are Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7 on USA TODAY’s list.

Rowling, overall, has sold more books than Meyer—her seven-book series about boy wizard Harry Potter has 143 million copies in print in the USA, while Meyer has sold 40 million copies of her four books. But Rowling can’t match Meyer’s control of the list.

Breaking Dawn and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the two author’s fourth installments, entered the list at No. 1, but Meyer’s series has had more staying power.

The Twilight books have stayed in the list’s top 10 for 52 consecutive weeks. They held the first four spots a total of 13 weeks in the past year.

Rowling’s first four Potter books were top 10 for 13 consecutive weeks, 24 weeks total, for the first year after Goblet’s publication and held the first four spots for two weeks.

Breaking Dawn broke the first-day sales record for publisher Hachette at 1.3 million copies.

Based on aggressive marketing of Meyer’s series, this November’s release of the film version of New Moon and the upcoming holiday gift-buying season, Twilight books could dominate the list well into 2010.

On sale today, two additions to the publishing phenomenon:

➢ Breaking Dawn Special Edition ($24.99), featuring an exclusive DVD of last summer’s Breaking Dawn Concert Series and an interview with Meyer. One-time printing of 1 million.

➢ Eclipse trade paperback ($12.99).

“The books continue to find new audiences,” says Carol Fitzgerald of , “so sales can still roll on bigger and bigger. The Twilight graphic novel that was just announced is going to bring a whole new audience to the books, and interest in the movies will keep people reading the books, as well.”

The franchise is expanding further with Twilight Journals ($24.99), Oct. 13; New Moon Collector’s Edition ($30) Oct.13; and various New Moon movie tie-in editions through the fall.

When Meyer might publish a new novel isn’t known, says Megan Tingley of Hachette’s Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She’s “enjoying the writing process without a deadline or targeted publication date.”

1. Who holds the record for selling more books?

a) Carol Fitzgerald

b) J.K. Rowling

c) Stephenie Meyer

2. Who has remained longer on the top 10 best-selling list?

a) J.K. Rowling

b) Megan Tingley

c) Stephenie Meyer

3. Which book entered the list at No. 1?

a) Both

b) “Breaking Dawn”

c) “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

4. When are sales expected to rise?

a) In November and at Christmas.

b) When the graphic novel is published.

c) When Meyer publishes a new novel.

5. Why might Meyer’s books continue to sell very well?

a) Because new readers emerge every day.

b) Because of the special and collector’s editions.

c) Because the franchise is expanding.

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