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Vampire love stories bat for Amazon
24 Apr 2009A love story with a bite has helped internet giant Amazon to shrug off the recession.
Stephenie Meyer's Twilight vampire novels were three of the top five sellers on its UK site in the first three months of the year as the Harry Potter generation seeks new reading material.
"Meyer is almost the new JK Rowling," said UK managing director Brian McBride.
The film of Meyer's first novel, Twilight, is already its eighth biggest seller thanks to pre-orders alone.
Bond movie Quantum of Solace on DVD claimed the top spot, while feel-good film Mamma Mia! is now its best-seller of all time.
Overall, Amazon thrashed Wall Street's expectations for the first three months of the year, with net income jumping 24% to $177 million (£120.8 million).
Total sales climbed 18% on the same quarter last year to $4.89 billion. Sales were up by over a fifth in the US, helped by strong demand for the Kindle electronic reader, and rose 15% in Amazon's overseas operations, which includes the UK.
