It's going to be a good weekend for fans of teenage vampires. Breaking Dawn, the fourth installment in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight book series, hits bookstores at midnight tonight.
Superstore chains are getting into the spirit of things. Borders Group (NYSE:BGP) will be hosting release parties tonight at 900 of its stores, complete with costume contests, trivia, and character debates.
As the heir apparent to J.K. Rowling's Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) series of Harry Potter books, chains hope they have another magical hit series on their hands. Their efforts aren't just about summer release parties -- they're also attempts to engage young readers, an audience that real-world retailers like Borders, Barnes & Noble (NYSE:BKS), Books-A-Million (NASDAQ:BAMM), and Hastings Entertainment (NASDAQ:HAST) desperately need in order to survive in an age where youngsters are fixated on the Internet. It shouldn't come as a surprise to find three of the four retailers struggling with share prices in the single digits.
Unfortunately for Meyer, Rowling seems reluctant to fully pass on her crown. The December release of Rowling's new The Tales of Beedle the Bard was just announced, no doubt intentionally timed to eat into Breaking Dawn's spotlight. On Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) this morning, the two best-selling items are the two different pre-order editions of Rowling's book. Meyer's book will have to settle for bronze.
Then again, December is far away in the real world. The local retailers will be milking the 768-page Breaking Dawn for all they can this weekend. They have to. Unlike vampires, they are far from immortal.
Borders knows it. It's still reeling from its most recent blood-riddled quarter, the tricky relaunch of its Borders.com storefront, and persistent buyout rumors. The company's neck is on the line. Will Mr. Market take a bite?
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