Harry Potter gives Bloomsbury further sales boost

Sales of Harry Potter books have soared worldwide

A resurgence in Potter-mania has boosted sales at publisher Bloomsbury.

The firm said the release of the latest film - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II - had led to a surge in sales in all seven Harry Potter books.

This increase contributed to a "significant improvement" in sales for Bloomsbury during July and August, the company said.

Bloomsbury also said it had also seen strong downloads of e-books during the summer holiday season.

Prize winners' boost

Chief executive Nigel Newton said the firm's performance was also boosted by sales of Frank Dikotter's Mao's Great Famine, which won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction.

Stephen Kelman's Pigeon English has also been included on the long-list for the Man Booker Prize.

Bloomsbury has also been buoyed by strong sales of last year's Booker winner, Howard Jacobson's The Finkler Question, which has currently sold about 717,000 copies worldwide.

A deal has also been struck with the Practical Law Company, which provides market news and data for the legal sector.

The agreement will see Bloomsbury provide data to law firms and the legal departments of major companies.