Pullman's 'Material' world

Speaking of Philip Pullman -- and we were, sort of -- Reuters talks with the British author about the film adaptation of His Dark Materials, George Bush as the perfect kids' villain, and the soaring popularity of children's books (since 1998, the article notes, global sales have risen by almost 25 percent):

"With Harry Potter, suddenly these books are seen to make millions and millions of pounds. They are hot in a financial sense. That is very good but it does distort things. Nine out of 10 books don't succeed."