MuggleNet Staff weighs in on why 'Hunger Games' outsold 'Harry Potter' on Amazon

Recently, Amazon.com reported that the Hunger Games Trilogy had surpassed the Harry Potter series in total sales to become the Best-Selling Book Series on Amazon. Harry Potter fans were not pleased with this, so two of our MuggleNet Staff members decided to write an editorial to try and explain how this was even possible.

From Kristina Short:

The Harry Potter series was unique in the way it brought readers together, and that draws as much on when it was released (and the concurrent explosion of internet forums, fan sites, and broadband internet connectivity) as it does on the format in which it was released. Would the desire for a freshly-bound (not to mention more expensive hardcover) copy have been as strong had other options been available? Would fans have turned out in such droves if they could have downloaded the e-book from the comfort of their own home?

And from Alison Fahey:

Another position to consider is nearly each and every ‘Harry Potter’ fan attended a midnight release of the books. If not at midnight, then most fans purchased the real, tangible copies at some point in order to read them because that was the only way. Real appreciation for the book is shown in that, in my humble opinion. Everyone already has the ‘Harry Potter’ books! Plain and simple.

You can read their entire MuggleNet Editorial right here!

What do you feel contributed to the Hunger Games Trilogy overtaking the Harry Potter series on Amazon.com? Does this make the Harry Potter series any less of a phenom in today's literature? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below.