Harper Lee sales leap at national retailers

Harper Lee's death last Friday (19th February) has prompted a sharp upturn in sales of To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman for Amazon, Waterstones and Foyles.

By 9am the day after the treasured author's death, Amazon’s sales rankings showed that the 50th anniversary edition of To Kill a Mockingbird (Arrow) had shot up 5,050% (101 places) to claim the second position on Amazon's UK website, while Go Set a Watchman (William Heinemann) leapt 143 places to number four. 

Jasper Sutcliffe, head of buying for Foyles, reported a 57% increase in sales of To Kill a Mockingbird over the weekend, with the trade paperback of Go Set a Watchman "also performing very well”.

Meanwhile, Waterstones' fiction buyer Chris White confirmed that Lee's titles were in demand at the chain retailer too. He said: "As you might expect, the very sad news of the death of Harper Lee has created a renewed interest in her work and we have seen an increase in sales over the weekend."

Official Nielsen book chart figures for the week will be released later today (23rd February).

Penguin Random House, which publishes To Kill a Mockingbird under Arrow, and released the paperback for Go Set a Watchman under its William Heinemann imprint in June, said: "As soon as the news broke on Friday our sales team worked swiftly to speak to customers and we will continue to monitor our stock levels."

However, the upturn appears to be limited to larger retailers for the moment, with independents not reporting the same renewed interest in Lee’s novels. 

Hungerford Bookshop sold just one copy of To Kill a Mockingbird over the weekend. It’s owner, Alex Milne-White, said: “I would guess that people who wanted to read it have read it already”.

While Red Lion Books in Colchester said it has sold a couple copies of To Kill a Mockingbird, but that “we are only a small shop; the significance is smaller”.

Last week tributes poured in for "treasured" author Lee, who died aged 89 peacefully in her sleep on Friday morning.

Her agent Andrew Nurnberg said: "Knowing Nelle these past few years has been not just for us a delight but an extraordinary privilege. When I saw her just six weeks ago, she was full of life, her mind and mischievous wit as sharp as ever. She was quoting Thomas More and setting me straight on Tudor history. We have lost a great writer, a great friend and a beacon of integrity."

Meanwhile Tom Weldon, c.e.o. of Penguin Random House UK, said: “We are honoured to have been Harper Lee’s publisher and so saddened to hear of her passing.  She was an extraordinary writer and readers around the world will always be thankful for her legacy.”