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Credit: Inside the MagicUpdate: Pottermore provided the following statement to Inside the Magic:
“Pottermore Publishing continues with its mission to bring Harry Potter to new audiences around the globe. Reaching milestones such as one billion hours of listening to Harry Potter on Audible, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first book’s publication in Germany, completing the publication of recordings of the entire Harry Potter series in Mandarin Chinese, and releasing new audio recordings of the Hogwarts Library titles in a number of markets including the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Denmark, indicates how Pottermore Publishing continues to connect readers and listeners around the world with the magic of these incredible stories.”
The Harry Potter series is one of the world’s biggest media franchises, and, it turns out, even more than 25 years after the publication of the first book, sales keep going up. Apparently, even the repeated attempts to cancel controversial series creator J.K. Rowling over her anti-trans views have not cooled down sales of e-books and audiobooks.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States) was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997, becoming an immediate bestseller. Over the years, publishing formats have changed, and currently, digital versions of the books are sold through Pottermore, which saw a dramatic uptick in sales in 2023 (per the Washington Examiner).
Related: ‘Oppenheimer’ Star Becomes Favorite to Play Voldemort in ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot
In the last fiscal year, Pottermore sales of digital Harry Potter books leaped to $61.4 million, up from $48.26 million from the previous year. Similarly, traditional book sales via Bloomsbury increased 15% in 2023 (per the Motley Fool), largely buoyed by social media like TikTok.
At the same time, the Wizarding World franchise is breaking box office records for the Broadway release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, while Universal Studios built a new Potter-themed park in Beijing in 2021 and has plans to open another in Orlando in 2025.
This is all despite J.K. Rowling’s repeated, very public campaign for alleged anti-trans legislation in the United Kingdom. Rowling is one of the most financially successful authors of all time, but a large faction of Harry Potter fans have turned on the creator of the franchise, even going so far as to attempt to remove her presence from a museum in Seattle. Although there has not been a new proper Wizarding World book since The Deathly Hallows in 2007, it appears that a much larger contingent of fans still have an appetite for the series.
Related: Academy Award-Winning ‘Harry Potter’ Star Calls His Performance “Mediocre,” Didn’t Read the Books
While the Fantastic Beasts series of movies appears to have sputtered to a stop amidst dwindling box office sales and an increasingly controversial cast, Harry Potter seems as strong as ever. Not even J.K. Rowling’s controversial public statements can seem to stop it.
Pottermore’s complete 2023 fiscal year financial release can be seen here:
Do you still read the Harry Potter books, despite J.K. Rowling’s public persona? Tell us in the comments below!