Fanfare for JK Rowling on the decline?

Pre-order sales for Rowling’s new book, “The Casual Vacancy” show a lack of interest among readers in India
The Harry Potter series is almost a modern classic in children’s literature, but Rowling’s latest adult novel, “The Casual Vacancy” will be of special interest among readers. The book, which has reportedly sold one million copies in pre-order sales in the UK, is predicted as one of the best sellers of the century by critics.However, Indian readers are far from being interested: offline and online pre- order sales range between 400 to 800 copies.
HomeShop18, which received more than 5000 pre-orders for Chetan Bhagat's "What Young India Wants", has so far sold 400 copies of Rowling's latest novel. Sundeep Malhotra, CEO, HomeShop18 says, “We have received more than 400 pre-orders in the last ten days; the number is expected to increase to 600 till the final launch, this Thursday.” Bookshops across the country tell a similar tale. Paresh Shah, CEO, Sapna Book House says that sales through pre-orders are between 350 to 375; whereas Crossword Bookstore has managed to sell 800 copies so far, says Kunjal Shah, COO, Crossword Bookstores.
In a bid to attract fans of Rowling’s Harry Potter series, bookshops across the country are offering a discount of anything between 20% to 40%, but loyalists are not enthusiastic about a novel which is as far away from Hogwarts, as reality is from fantasy.
JK Rowling’s “The Casual Vacancy”, which is set in the town of Pagford revolves around the death of the parish councilor Barry, and the villagers ambition to fill his seat with someone who would negate Padford’s responsibility of the Fields—a squalid house estate.
The book, which deals with drug addiction, teenage sexuality, among other issues is largely different from her fantasy novel series. In an interview to the New Yorker Magazine, Rowling said, “I’m a writer, and I will write what I want to write.” But die-hard fans remain uninspired by the adult themes of her book.
Rachna Deshpande, a second year communications student at Mount Carmel College says, “I waited in a queue at 6 am when the last Harry Potter book came out, I definitely won’t be doing it this time. I’ll buy the book only when the reviews are out.” Similar thoughts are echoed by Ashwin Chandrasekaran, a 25 year old entrepreneur, and an avid fan of the Harry Potter series. “I’d look forward to Chuck Palahnuik’s books because he’s got a brilliant writing style. He is the star of his books; not his characters. Harry Potter books are famous because of the character Harry. It doesn’t matter who tells the story,” he says.
Indeed, the Harry Potter franchise has expanded from video games and memorabilia, to walks and theme parks across England and America, creating a phenomenon. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, in many ways, has restricted her to the domain of children’s literature.
Can JK Rowling's latest adult novel win her a coveted place among writers of serious literature, or is it a risk that could backfire and immortalise her as a writer of only one hit series? “This is one the dangers that a writer has to face when h/she is branching out into other themes,” says writer Anita Nair, adding, that the lack of fanfare for Rowling’s latest book, is because readers are “cautious”.
Vikram Sampth, a Bangalore based writer adds that JK Rowling’s biggest challenge in sustaining her fans’ interest lies in living up to the fame of the Harry Potter series. “It’s quite tough, I would say. To match your best literature is quite a challenge.”
Commenting on the lack of interest among Indian readers, writer Jessy Paul says that its too early to dismiss the book, as the concept of pre-order sales has not picked up pace in India. “The book hasn’t been marketed well, and hence there is a general hush about it. No one in India is talking about it on Facebook or Twitter. In India, its difficult to make it to the bestseller list because books don’t have a presence online, like the West,” she says, adding, “Books get noticed here only when they are displayed in huge numbers in bookstores. Chetan Bhagat sells like crazy because he markets like crazy.”