I like HP and JKR, but I don't get the "new markets". Her books got made into movies, and lots of useless merchandise was created alongside it. What is new abou

I like HP and JKR, but I don't get the "new markets". Her books got made into movies, and lots of useless merchandise was created alongside it. What is new about that? Not that I blame her/them for making money, just that it seems a very traditional way to do so.