Hollywood Zenith

Chapter 137 Record Selling

The book was an instant hit. Hobbit being a standalone book, garnered less attention than the new series.

Haters called the author a one-trick pony, but with the news of the Lord of the Rings series, they had to swallow their own words.

What was more surprising was that this series would have a total of six books and would expand the mythology of Middle Earth.

From following Bilbo from Bag End to The Shire. Hearing stories from his younger days. Understanding how Gandalf knew Thorin Oakenshield after returning from his long journey was exciting enough.

But the new series would focus on the story of Frodo's adventures.

One critic wrote-

"A fantasy featuring realistic and a tense narrative. After reading only the first book of following Frodo throughout his journey, it became tiresome. Not because of the story but because of constant anticipation for what's next to come.

However, it sets quite an ending that alludes to future events. I hope everyone gives it a read. It is suitable for children too, which is always a plus. "

On online forums, people were constantly debating.

One person gave an honest review. He deemed the book a literary masterpiece to others.

Naturally, It became a very controversial statement.

"You are prejudiced. It offends me that you label and you let your opinion influence others. I agree that it is a good book but not a masterpiece.

It looked like a troll account bashing the book, so nobody gave him any limelight.

One man sarcastically replied.

"Great book "

Which was like adding fuel to the fire.

After a string of back and forth, they entered a debate, and the troll ran out of a problem he was pointing out. The fans piled up on him as he was forced off the forum.

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With excellent marketing, the book became the talk of the town. The publishing house did an outstanding job and translated the book into over fifty languages, for the time it was an unprecedented event.

It became a record holder for the book, which had been translated into most languages.

People of all ages gathered around various locations like a coffee shops, parks etc. and enjoyed a quiet read.

You see, it's not just a new record breaker. It became celebrated as a legacy. It's more than just your typical review or news today- there is an abundance of thoughts, and it's featured in the New York Times.

On the morning of the release date, a man was waiting patiently in the cafe watching the television.

Christian Pilgrim was watching the news at 10 o'clock, glued to the screen. He double-checked the date on his phone; he's been waiting for today for a long time.

"Finally, I was waiting for this for months." He muttered to himself.

He was waiting in line while looking at the news.

Coincidently, the anchor in the studio was talking about the book. He shared quotes from customers giving their two cents on The Lord of the Rings.

The first customer said, "I am pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of this book. It answered all my questions with some lovely added philosophy too."

The second customer said, "I just read 100 pages of this book, and you could never tell it was written with a simple vocabulary. I loved it. I can't wait for the next instalment."

Behind Christian, a meek lady was also waiting in line. The store was yet to open, but hundreds of people had lined up since morning. She overslept, due to which she was in the back.

Kendra was a typical working-class woman, a new yorker struggling to pay her bills. She took the morning off because her daughter loved the author's work and she wanted to surprise her with this gift.

There have been massive rumours of a sequel being released due to the popularity of the first book. Until today, she would've never thought about doing something like this, but that was about to change. Usually, she would wait for the hype to cool down.

With the overwhelming hype for the sequel, the analyst on the news was sure that it's would not just another new best seller but something that could break the death grip that the Harry Potter series had on the market.

Unsurprisingly, some heated debates were happening to compare both series. Coupled with talks about how this new and upcoming author. From having his book be included alongside some prestigious authors on the bestseller list and having continuously published in different languages worldwide, this new boy was not stopping.

Lord of the Rings was definitely on the way to becoming a bestseller of the 21st century. From professional reviews to the news, this cultural behemoth was sure to only grow in popularity and readership.

The difference between "Lord of the Rings" and the " Harry Potter" series is that, for one, the Lord of the Rings was a new title which explores a completely different aspect of society. It descended into the darkness to some degree, whereas with Harry Potter, no book was darker than the one preceding it.

In the Harry Potter series, good triumphs, love saves and redeems, and evil is definitively destroyed and thwarted. While the ending for Lord of the rings was yet to be seen.

But it sparked several questions-

Wouldn't it be fascinating to circle back from Bilbo's winding adventure and see how it all started?

What things were happening back then that set up the need for the future that culminated with Frodo's journey? What was Gandalf like when he was younger?

How many hobbits exist outside of hobbit society that know about fairy rings, legends about swords in stones, life within a hidden city, or other stories we still need to be privy to...?

It became messy when fans of the Hobbit joined the fray. They considered it pointless to compare these two series; the Hobbit, a best-selling one year prior, had to be included in the conversation.

The Hobbit surpassed the third instalment sales by selling over thirty million copies which were larger than any other book that year.

These reviewers were mixed on the latest Lord of the Rings book, debating which was better: Fellowship or The Hobbit.

But it was a pointless argument. Being a minority, they were quickly suppressed by other fans who wanted to learn more about the story.

Fellowship was more well-received than The Hobbit because of that unavoidable connection as it leads directly into that one story, filling us with anticipation for what's yet to come.

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After a week's news reached Samuel, Thomas gave a detailed report on the book sales. He was really excited over the phone.

" It surpassed our estimates. I thought we were generous with our numbers, but who would have thought we would make history."

" Uncle, I know you like to gloat, but I still don't know what you are talking about?"

" Don't act oblivious; I call when there is something new about the book."

" That means that you only care about my books, not me as a person?"

" Ehh, Don't twist my words. Listen up, I have the numbers." Thomas changed the subject and began mentioning numbers.

Samuel remembered that the Hobbit sold about one million copies on the first day, but the new book numbers were off the chart.

More than five million copies were sold on the first day. These numbers were bolstered because it was adapted in so many languages. This number broke the record for the most sales in a day, surpassing the previous first place by a million copies.

But he also knew that it would change in the future, and the irony was that the series which would break his record would be the one he was starring in. The last book in Harry Potter series will become the new king with Samuel's involvement; he knows that the movies will be better.

But it was nothing to boast about, most people didn't know, but religious books were the most sold commodity in the literature world, with Bible alone surpassing the combined numbers of top fifty bestsellers.

Estimated reports said that it stands between five to six billion copies! More copies than the money Samuel had earned last year.

Only in seven days, the book reached the ten million mark, most of which were paperback editions.

Just like the previous book, they made two versions. One hardcover and another softcover edition, the paperback version sold for fifteen pounds, five pounds more than the Hobbit, while the hardcover price was roughly the same thirty pounds.

There was yet to be a collector's edition, Samuel decided to release one more book before making it collectable. He would also make an illustrated combining both books and release it in the future.

It was surprising, but Samuel had already joined the billion-dollar club; with his recent investments and money from book sales, he reached a net worth of three billion.

If anyone heard about it, they would die of jealousy. He may not have done it alone, but most of the ideas and strategies came from his work while the Rothschild family provided the support.