Sales of Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte's classic gothic novel set on the Yorkshire moors, have quadrupled over the last year thanks to its appearance in the cult teenage film Twilight.
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor
Published: The Telegraph. 10 Apr 2010
Wuthering Heights sales double thanks to Twilight effect
Following this reissue, (left) sales peaked at 2,634 in one week and totalled 34,023 during the year
After 150 years of steady sales, the romance between Heathcliff and Cathy has started flying off the shelves thanks to a generation of teenagers discovering the book through the Twilight saga – a trilogy of books by Stephanie Meyer, which have been turned into hugely popular films, staring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
The Twilight books, which have helped launch a whole new category of publishing – "paranormal romance" – feature baseball, American high schools and vampires, a potent cocktail that has helped the books sell 17 million copies around the world and propelled the films to the top of the box office.
And now, thanks to the lead character Bella quoting Wuthering Heights and comparing her love for the vampire Edward with Cathy's passion for Heathcliff, some of the magic is rubbing off on Emily Bronte's great work.
Wuthering Heights, before the first Twilight books came out in 2005 sold 8,551 a year in Britain. However, the publishers Harper Collins reissued Wuthering Heights last year, with a cover inspired by the Twilight artwork and including the tag-line: "Bella and Edward's favourite book".
Following this reissue, sales peaked at 2,634 in one week and totalled 34,023 during the year, according to Nielsen Bookscan, which monitors book sales across the industry. This was a fourfold increase and it is now one of the best selling novels at Tesco, as well as more traditional book shops.
The full story at The Telegraph.
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