From The Mainichi Daily News, Japan
Haruki Murakami's latest novel "1Q84" is set to become a million seller after its release in Japan two weeks ago, it has been learned.
Shinchosha Publishing Co., the publisher of Murakami's long-awaited novel, has decided to print additional copies of the novel, bringing the total number to 1.06 million copies of the two-volume novel. The decision was made on Tuesday, the 12th day since its release on May 29.
The novel, which was titled after George Orwell's near-future novel "1984," became Murakami's first full-length novel since "Kafka on the Shore," published seven years ago.
The latest novel's unprecedented success has also boosted sales of other relevant products, including a CD containing classical music that is frequently mentioned in the novel.
A whopping 6,000 orders have been made for the "Sinfonietta" CD of Czech composer Leos Janacek in just one week after the release of "1Q84," according to Sony Music Japan International Inc. The CD contains the version conducted by George Szell and performed by the Cleveland Orchestra -- the same classical piece that the novel's protagonist listens to.
The record company says it had shipped the same number of copies of the CD over the past 20 years since the album's conversion into a CD in 1990 as following the release of "1Q84." The company is rushing to produce additional copies to hit store shelves by the middle of this week.
"Mr. Haruki Murakami's influence is just extraordinary. None of our CDs referred to in novels have ever sold this well," said Tetsushi Koyama, head of the company's creative department.
The Japanese version of Orwell's "1984" has also sold out several thousand existing copies since the release of Murakami's "1Q84," with Hayakawa Publishing Corp. receiving more orders from bookstores. Coincidentally, the publisher is slated to release a new translation of "1984" in early July.
Murakami's past novels have also witnessed a resurgence in their popularity, including "Kafka on the Shore."
So far, the author's past sellers include: a total of 4.53 million copies of the two-volume novel "Norwegian Wood"; a total of 853,000 copies of the trilogy "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle"; and a total of 738,000 copies of the two-volume novel "Kafka on the Shore."
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