Koen Won't Have New Harry

On July 5, Moorestown, New Jersey's Koen Book Distributors announced that, due to financial difficulties, it would not be distributing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Scholastic) to its customers. In a press release, Robert Koen, the company's president, said, "Arrangements were made with Scholastic and [its distributor] HarperCollins to make sure our customers [get] the new Harry Potter book." Orders for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince originally placed with Koen will be filled by Baker & Taylor.

Jim Di Miero, Koen's director of marketing, told BTW that the arrangement was necessary due to the company's cash flow problems. "We are on [credit] hold with major publishers," said Di Miero, but, he stressed, Koen is working with its bank and the publishers to rectify its problems.

Di Miero also said that the company still had Harry Potter backlist very well stocked and that "independents should continue to look for a major selection from Koen." He noted, however, that the distributor may not be able to fill orders for other recent releases and advised booksellers to call Koen to check on availability of stock. --David Grogan