IT'S OFFICIAL: TWILIGHT TRUMPS POTTER
STEPHENIE MEYER SERIES HITS RECORD SALES AT INDIGO BOOKS AND MUSIC
Toronto, ON - November 18, 2008 -- Young Canadians have been demonstrating their thirst for a good read as Indigo Books and Music marks the sale this week of 600,000 copies of Stephenie Meyer's page-turning Twilight series in 2008. The paranormal romance of Bella, Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf has become so popular among young readers this year that the Twilight Saga has eclipsed the number of Harry Potter books sold at the Canadian bookstore in 2007, including the launch of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This sales milestone comes in the same week as the highly anticipated Twilight movie hits the big screen.
"I never expected to see another series sell as many copies as Harry Potter did in 2007. For the Twilight Series to have sold more copies in 2008 than the Harry Potter series did last year is truly extraordinary," says Trevor Dayton, Vice President, Kids and Entertainment at Indigo Books & Music Inc.
"We are inspired by the surge in the volume of readership in the Young Adult category. The number of books sold in the Twilight series and other up-and-coming novels shows that young Canadians love to read. Book sales in this category have exploded over 200% over the last five years" notes Dayton. "Teens have increasingly galvanized around books and reading and sharing their passion for these stories with each other through social networking and digital technology."
The Twilight series has become a huge phenomenon across the world, and especially in Canada where the series' loyal fan base, also called "Twilighters", have become so devoted that they clamour to be among the first to buy copies of each new release. Just this summer, to launch Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in the Twilight Saga, thousands of fans across Canada attended Midnight Masquerade parties at Indigo and Chapters stores to be among the first to buy copies of the latest book.
With the holidays fast approaching this impressive milestone reminds parents that books make great gifts providing hours of entertainment and serve as a catalyst for connection with their teens. The complete assortment of Twilight series books, music and accessories are available at Indigo, Canada's
Twilight Saga headquarters.
Indigo Books & Music Inc. is a Canadian company and the largest book retailer in Canada, operating bookstores in all provinces under the names Indigo Books and Music, Chapters, and Coles. Indigo operates chapters.indigo.ca, an online retailer of books, music, videos, and DVDs. It is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol IDG.
- 30 -
For more information or to arrange an interview with a representative from Indigo, please contact:
Nadia Beale
MS&L
416-847-1333
nadia.beale@mslworldwide.com
Celine Rouzaud
MS&L
416-847-1311
celine.rouzaud@mslworldwide.com