Steimatsky "shocked" at quantity of sales, already re-ordering.
By ILANA DIAMONDharry potter 88(photo credit: )
Less than a week after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Steimatsky's is already ordering more copies.
"I am not allowed to reveal the exact number, but many, many, many thousands of copies were sold - you could say tens of thousands. Sales were wonderful, and pre-sales were wonderful," Steimatsky's representative Nancy Ayalon told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Ayalon also said that it was the best selling Harry Potter book out of the seven. They were shocked at the quantity of sales, she said.
The book went on sale at the same time around the globe, midnight Friday in the United Kingdom, which meant it was first authorized for sale in Israel at 2 a.m. on Saturday, during Shabbat. Most fans waited until Saturday night or Sunday to buy the book.
But a few stores in Tel Aviv opened especially on Shabbat, including at the Tel Aviv Port.
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai of Shas threatened to fine the stores for employing Jews on Shabbat in violation of the law.
Ayalon said Yishai's "thugs" were at the book-launch event at the Tel Aviv Port taking down details, but that Steimatsky's had not been notified of a fine.
Even if they do have to pay a fine, Ayalon said it was completely worth it. "It was a cultural event," she said. "Many cultural events take place on Shabbat and no one is shocked by it. Yishai has his agenda and we have ours."
However not all booksellers are as elated as Ayalon.
Imad Muna, an east Jerusalem bookshop owner who made arrangements for Jews to pre-pay for the book and pick it up on Saturday without violating the Sabbath, opened at 5 a.m. on Saturday. He told the Post it wasn't worth it.
"I had four Jewish customers come Friday and pay in advance. Only two came when the store opened, and only one more came before 10. We sold all of the copies [120] by Sunday."
Imad had hoped for more Jewish clientele, however only around eight came to buy the book during Shabbat, he said, in addition to the four who pre-paid.
