Video: British bookshops open their doors early for the release of ‘The Casual Vacancy’

The highly anticipated release of J.K. Rowling’s first post-Potter novel The Casual Vacancy occurred at 8:00 a.m. this morning in the UK and bookstores opened their doors early for the swarm of enthusiastic buyers who couldn’t wait to get their hands on the adult novel.

The Associated Press was in bookstores interviewing patrons:

Annie Jones (speed reader) stated, “I’m seriously impressed by the writing. I really didn’t think that she could pull it off and it really is very good. You want to find out what happens to the main characters at the end. I was desperate!”

Phillip Jones (Editor of ‘The Bookseller’) added, “The book has had a number of pre-order sales and so she is already making royalties and a profit on it, so it will further increase her wealth. But I don’t think that’s the reason she has written it. I think she has written it because she wanted to write it, it’s a very personal book, very personal and profound. I don’t think she has written it for the reviewers, or for sales. I think she has written it for readers and to get that message across: The message about poverty, and about her past, and the conversation around poverty that exists.”

Booksellers around the globe anticipate The Casual Vacancy to be one of their key titles this holiday season according to reporter Sarah Sheffer.