Fall Audio Tie-ins.(Brief Article)

Tolkien and Harry Potter are coming!

The countdown to two of the year's most anticipated films--The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone-has begun. And since both are based on phenomenally popular fantasy books, publishers, audiobook publishers and booksellers are just as excited about the months ahead as cineplex owners. New Line Cinema's version of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, opens December 19, and retailers (including 750 BookSense member stores) have been stocking up on various print editions of the books for months (see Book News, Bookselling; Sept. 10). Happily, audiobooks are poised to be part of the Hobbit hoopla as well.

"The Lord of the Rings boxed set has always been popular on our list and now with the movie, sales have really popped," said Mary Beth Roche, …