No Potter for Mac’s
The latest and last Harry Potter book (did you know there was a new one coming out?) will not be available at western-Canadian outlets of Mac’s Convenience, according to a story in The Globe and Mail. Raincoast is barring the chain – and possibly others – from receiving copies of the book in advance of publication, citing security concerns. (Raincoast sought and won a restraining order after the previous Potter volume, Harry Potter and the Annoying Embargo, was sold in advance of the pub date by a few convenience and grocery stores, including at least one Mac’s location.)
That’s right: the sales outlook on this book is so good that Raincoast can afford to not sell it. Won’t all those Potter fans be surprised when they finally get the book, only to discover it’s a 40-page novella that kills off every major character, padded out with 800 pages of Rowling’s journals, letters from fans, some of her favourite recipes, and an unpublished collection of her poetry.
(Note: Jamie Broadhurst, Raincoast’s vice president of marketing, told Q&Q he would “not discuss specific details about customers, logistics, or security,” but did confirm that, at least theoretically, stores not able to stock the book before the pub date of July 21 could do so after.)
