Gone to Potter
On the eve of the industry’s summer lull Scholastic gets one more bite of the Harry Potter series. More resilient than Alberto Gonzalez Harry enjoys a twelve million copy laydown coinciding with Roger Clemens return, the release of a new Potter movie, and the realization that dark matter may be encroaching in a manner that suggests the publishing universe is expanding. Savage discounting has broken out among retailers but the book’s retail price of 34.99 is double the cost of an oil change for a Ford Cortina.
Even as Kuwait uncouples from the US Dollar and domestic interest rates rattle the Live Hog Pit you have to wonder about a kid’s book retailing for close to 35 USD. Part of the problem may be found in China, unable to control speculation on the Shanghai Exchange, cannot produce a safe and sane knockoff of Harry in time for the Dog Days. Instead they are developing poisonous toothpaste. In the marketplace of ideas toxic toothpaste is a loser.
Harry’s release may influence the Consumer Price Index more than Scholastic’s cyclical bottom line. Here is the Wellington Leg Play on Harry: borrow the jacket price in Yen, short the Euro, jump down a manhole and light yourself a candle. Dark matter, man. That’s where the action is.
June 12th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Hey, come on–if it’s anything like the recent ones, this Harry Potter probably cost at least $25 in paper alone.
I suggested that it should be entitled “Harry Potter and the Vanishing Canadian Forests”, but no one in the publicity department seemed excited about it…
And, sure, toxic toothpaste sounds like a bad idea on cursory examination; but if you consider the issue more closely you realize that the FDA might approve it anyhow. Use only as directed.