Cara headlines on publishing’s day of days
Model’s teen novel makes its debut as 505 titles go on sale at same time
A RECORD number of hardback books were released today on the biggest publishing day of the year with JK Rowling going up against debut novelist Cara Delevingne.
Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and comedians Dawn French, Matt Lucas and Miranda Hart are among the authors of 505 titles released on what is known in the publishing world as Super Thursday.
Publishers release titles today to give authors the best chance of getting a slice of the lucrative Christmas gift market. Figures suggest 35 per cent of the UK’s book trade is done in the last three months of the year.
Kate Skipper, Waterstones’ buying director, said: “Super Thursday always feels like Christmas come early for booksellers. Any occasion that puts a spotlight onto books and generates conversation among readers is always a good thing.
“The pleasure of a good bookshop relies on its ability to help their customers discover something new that they love — whether that’s a book published that very day or a title that’s been in print for many years.”
Among the 2017 predicted top sellers are French’s autobiographical Me. You. A Diary, Hart’s children’s debut The Girl with the Lost Smile and model Delevingne’s teen novel Mirror Mirror. She attended a book signing at Waterstones Piccadilly yesterday, showing off her book and new hair. The 25-year-old debuted a brown pixie crop days after being seen at Fashion Week with a platinum blonde look.
Terry Pratchett will posthumously release Father Christmas’ Fake Beard and Rowling is releasing Wizarding World: A Magical Yearbook, days after she released an illustrated edition of the Prisoner of Azkaban.
In the food section, highlights include Mary Berry’s Household Tips and Tricks, Bake Me a Festive Story by Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, and River Cafe 30 by Ruth Rogers. Physical book sales are up seven per cent and e-book sales are down by four per cent.
Meryl Halls, from the Booksellers Association, told BBC
News: “It [the book] has definitely had a comeback. Customers want the physical item, they want something gorgeous. Gifting is a really important part of the market, especially at Christmas time.
“People want to give a gift, you can’t give a voucher very effectively. It is much nicer to wrap up a book and give it to a family member.”