Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, sold more than 450,000 copies (hardcover and e-book) in its first week on sale in the U.S., its publisher, Scholastic, announced today. The book debuted at number one on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. Scholastic has gone back to press for an additional 400,000 copies, bringing the total number of copies in print for Mockingjay in the U.S. to 1.6 million since its August 24 publication.
For comparison, Eclipse, the third book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, sold 250,000 copies during its first week, in August 2007. Ellie Berger, president of Scholastic Trade, said sales “have exceeded all expectations” and said she was impressed at the numbers of teens and adults who have blogged, tweeted, and come out to meet Collins on the first leg of her North American tour. There will be three subsequent legs of her tour, in September, October, and November.
