HC Bets Snicket Boxed Set Isn't a Complete Wreck

by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 8/21/2006

With a planned first printing of 300,000 for the complete boxed set of Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Events books, HarperCollins is betting there's still a substantial market for a series that already has more than 26 million copies in print. But whom does HC see as the audience for the 13-volume The Complete Wreck? Series editor Susan Rich admits that she wouldn't recommend paying $150 for the boxed set if readers are only looking for one title, but she believes the combination of people who haven't read the books and Snicket fans is large enough to justify the healthy first printing.

The attraction for Snicket fans includes new "narrative art" on the box by illustrator Brett Helquist. The art will appear on the five sides of the box and will give readers, Rich said, "a better understanding of the series." Having the complete set will also make it easier for fans who want to re-read certain books to refresh their memory, she said.

HC has previously released four three-volume boxed sets of Snicket and one six-volume boxed set; the publisher was satisfied enough with sales to go ahead with the large run for the complete package.

Lisa Dugan, children's buyer for Koen-Levy Distributors, said she understands HC's inclination to put Snicket into one package. "You have a series that's done, you put it into a boxed set. It's a natural," she said. Similar high-priced sets for Narnia and Potter have done fairly well for Dugan, and she has placed a modest order for the Snicket set. Both Dugan and Rich agreed that if Complete Wreck will be successful, it will be at the holidays. "This is a gift item," Rich said.