Potter Spotter

The count-down

Oyez oyez ...

Still all of six months to go but the weirdo Harry Potter stories are oozing from the woodwork.

Alma mater Amazon.com has sent out two  releases with typically idiotic stats, such as that first day of advice orders was all of 547% up on that for "Half-Blood Prince". Duhh.

Publishers to the gentry, Scholastic, explain (and blame) the upped price on a rise in manufacturing costs

A spokesperson: "Since 2003, clearly, the prices have gone up for production, for paper, for gas, for distribution and security, and this reflects the increase." Quaite. Clearly, indeed.

The NYT nips in to point out that Scholastic depends on a Potter transfusion (book division sales fall about 15% when a new title isn't in the offing.)

BUT, insiders know that more Potter is NOT in fact critical, since listing a new Rowling usually represents only 13% of book division sales.