Happy Mind: The Philosophy and Science of Happiness

The End

As Lemony Snicket's dark and witty A Series of Unfortunate Events draws to an end, Katherine Power finds out why misery and woe have sold so well.

“I am sorry that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant,” reads the blurb on the back of The Bad Beginning, the first of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. “It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe.”

With five million copies sold in the UK (film tie-ins and stationeary included), and 50 million word-wide, it seems there is plenty of appetite for misery and woe.

“21 per cent of households in the UK with children have a copy of a Snicket book!” says Jessica Grant, Publicity Manager at Egmont UK, which publishes the series in Britain.

Who is Beatrice?

The identity of Lemony Snicket himself is as much of a mystery. As readers progress through the series, they begin to suspect he is a character in the story, rather than the actual author. In the twelfth book, The The Penultimate Peril, we learn that “his hobbies include nervous apprehension, increasing dread, and wondering if his enemies were right after all”.

Daniel Handler, Lemony Snicket's representative (well, creator, if I must be a spoil-sport), says that the idea which drives the Snicket books is “the sheer unaccountability of faith”.

“In a lot of children's books if you behave well you're rewarded and if you behave badly you're punished,” he went on record as saying. “When children reach the ages that are appropriate for the Snicket books, they have the sense that the world is going in a way that's contrary to the rules you're told about. [...] You can behave well and not necessarily be rewarded. Or behave badly and not necessarily get punished. The books reflect that truth.”

Adverbs

“We publish the books because we think they are funny, entertaining and unique,” says Ms Grant. “Although there are a number of imitations now in bookshops, when they first arrived here A Series of Unfortunate Events were fresh, unusual and completely different to anything else for today’s readers. Lemony Snicket doesn’t patronise his readers, and acknowledges that youngsters are a shrewd and sophisticated bunch.”

Bad Beginning

“This has changed since and the series has spawned a lot of imitations,” she says. “However, when the books hit the shelves their unusual look would have obviously helped them to stand out.”

She adds that, although the mystery surrounding Lemony Snicket adds to the intrigue of the series, it also made promoting the books more testing, as Egmont couldn't hold an author event for five years after The The Bad Beginning.

“The message to not read the books, or read them at your own peril of course has attracted readers,” she says. “Children are brave and fearless and, when given a challenge, take it on!”

The Film

“We loved the film and it was great to bring Lemony Snicket to a wider audience. However, we obviously feel the books are better!” says Ms Grant.

She adds that the film had a big effect on sales, with Egmont experiencing a significant uplift in December 2004 – January 2005. What's more, the film tie-in products, like Behind the Scenes with Count Olaf, all did well.

Egmont UK is currently undertaking a big research project to find out who reads A Series of Unfortunate Events. The results aren't available yet, but previous research indicates readers spanning mainly from seven to 11 years old, with the greatest number of readers aged eight.

 
Ms Grant says there will be further publishing, but no more fiction titles, in 2007.

“It is impossible to predict how many [Lemony Snicket books] will sell altogether – we hope they will be successful for many years to come,” she adds.

© Katherine Power 2006.

 Katherine E. Power is a freelance writer and the editor of Happy Mind. Her website can be found at: www.katherinepower.com.