Bloomsbury, which is best known for publishing J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, has another bestselling fantasy series on its hands — one that is proving so popular, it has already helped to drive the company’s stocks up by a staggering 12 per cent.
‘Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath,’ the second novel in author Sarah J. Maas’ Crescent City series, was published on February 15 of this year and has quickly become a massive hit.
Following the success of Maas’ New York Times bestseller ‘House of Earth and Blood,’ the sequel follows characters Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar and features demons, angels, love, and murder.
With a near-perfect 4.8 stars on Amazon and a 4.59 rating on Goodreads, the book has earned thousands of readers in under two months — and is getting a nod of recognition from its publisher, which noted that its projected revenue and profit are up thanks to the novel’s success.
Its wild popularity is not only being credited for driving sales, but it has also contributed to a boosted stock price.
‘Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath,’ the second novel in author Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series, was published on February 15th of this year and has quickly become a massive hit
Its wild popularity is not only being credited for driving sales for Bloombery, but it has also contributed to a boosted stock price (pictured: author Sarah J. Maas)
Bloomsbury said on Wednesday that it expects revenues to be ‘comfortably ahead’ of its projected £212.5 million in sales and profit to be ‘materially ahead’ of the projected £22.3 million.
The company has Maas, 36, to thank for its unexpected boom.
‘[We] could not have anticipated the scale of [House of Sky and Breath’s] success,’ Nigel Newton, chief executive, told the Financial Times.
‘It’s not a lack of visibility or confidence, it’s just that it was incredibly close to the end of the year,’ he added.
While the company didn’t share specifics of the ‘exceptional sales’ of House of Sky and Breath, it has over 68,600 ratings on Goodreads and over 15,000 on Amazon.
The first book in the series, ‘Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood,’ has over 240,000 ratings on Goodreads.
According to its description, the first book follows Bryce Quinlan, who ‘had the perfect life — working hard all day and partying all night — until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone.’
The new novel is the sequel to the New York Times bestseller ‘House of Earth and Blood’
In addition to a change in projected sales, Bloomsbury’s stock gained as much 12% in London, according to Bloomberg
‘When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths,’ it continues.
Meanwhile, Hunt Athalar a notorious Fallen angel, is ‘now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow.’
‘His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose — to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.’
Together, the pair ‘dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly’ and ‘discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear’ while finding ‘a blazing passion’ in one another.
Fans have called it ‘amazing,’ ‘perfectly told and brilliantly executed,’ a ‘masterpiece,’ and ‘magnificent.’
This is a major bump for Bloomsbury, which is best known for publishing J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books
The sequel has been equally beloved, with one fan gushing: ‘My mind was blown away by it, my attention was absorbed by it, and my heart adored it.’
In addition to a change in projected sales, Bloomsbury’s stock gained as much 12 per cent in London, according to Bloomberg.
The publishing house also notes that it stayed ahead of paper supply chain problems by ‘printing titles earlier than usual and being flexible about where we print.’
Specifically, they had intended to print ‘House of Sky and Breath’ for American readers at a printer in Virginia, but due to difficulties, did so at its Kent, UK, printed instead.
‘It’s a reflection on undercapacity in the US printing market, the supply chain crisis itself, and the actual length of this novel,’ Newton said.
Maas is also the author of two other bestselling series, ‘Throne of Glass’ and ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’
Maas is hardly new to publishing. Born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, she began writing stories as a child, even writing ‘Sailor Moon’ fanfiction in middle school and high school.
In fact, she was just 16 when she began writing her debut novel, ‘Throne of Glass,’ which was published in 2012. It was followed by seven more books, including a prequel, within the same series.
The first book in her next series, ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses,’ was published in 2015. Last year, Hulu announced that it was working on a TV show based on the book series, co-written by Maas herself.
According to Boomsbury and Maas’ website, her books have sold millions of copies and have been published in 37 languages.
Her books have ended up on best-of lists by PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Wired, Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, and Bustle.
She lives with her husband and two children in Pennsylvania.
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