Publisher Bloomsbury has raised its full-year profit forecast after fantasy author Sarah J. Maas’s latest novel topped bestseller lists around the world.
The British publisher told investors that this year’s profits were higher than expected in December, with much of that coming from the release of Mars’ latest book, House of Fire and Shadow.
The novel, released on January 30, is the third in Mars’ series about Bryce Quinlan, a half-human, half-elfin creature in the fantasy Crescent City.
Mars’ Romantasy books were popular around the world, and House of Fire and Shadow became a number one bestseller in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and many other countries.
In the UK, it sold 44,761 copies in its first week, making it the third best-selling fantasy novel since records began. The company said the new work had also driven demand for the previous 15 books Mars had written for Bloomsbury.
The publisher, best known for publishing the Harry Potter series, said it expected to post a pre-tax profit of £37.2m on sales of £291.4m for the year to February 29.
This was an increase from forecasts, which had already been revised upwards in December, calling for profits of £32.9m and sales of £274.2m.
The publisher currently has six more titles under contract from Maas. Her popularity has been fueled by her increasing presence on social media platforms such as Instagram and her TikTok, where her fans share her love for this book with their followers. Masu.
Other authors in the “romantasy” genre, which combines fantasy and romance, continue to achieve high levels of sales.
Rebecca Jarosz’s “Fourth Wing” series is popular. Her book, Iron Flame, recently became the best-selling fantasy book since records began, with her selling 57,055 copies in the first week of November last year.
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Bloomsbury chief executive Nigel Newton said the “unusually strong trading period” was due to increased demand for fantasy novels.
He said: “Sarah J. Maas is a phenomenon in the publishing world, and we are extremely lucky to have signed her for her first book 13 years ago.
“Her books have a huge readership and continue to grow, driven by Bloomsbury’s extensive promotional campaign, which has driven strong word-of-mouth recommendations, particularly through our TikTok and Instagram channels.”
Mr Bloomsbury also said recent publications such as Harry Potter’s Wizarding Yearbook, Tom Kerridge’s cookbook Pub Kitchen and Ghost, the companion book to the hit BBC comedy series, were contributing to the sales increase. He also pointed out that.
