MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
July 5 – July 12, 2006 Edition
Harry Potter Pre-Sales
Could Near 2 Million
Before Release Date
SEATTLE, WA/7/2/07–Amazon.com has reported that pre-sales for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and last book in the wildly popular series, have climbed to 1.6 million, a number that is expected to top at around 2 million before the July 21 release date. The reserved copies are the highest ever for a Harry Potter title, exceeding the 1.5 million pre-sold copies for the previous Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Amazon.com is selling the book for $17.99, well under the suggested retail price of $34.99 and is also offering customers who pre-order a $5 gift certificate toward purchases made in August.
Pre-sales figures for the final Potter book set an all-time record for the series. Booksellers are keeping a tight lid on the book shipments until the July 21 release date. At Barnes & Noble, boxes remain sealed and employees are not allowed to open them or carry copies around in the stores. Some retailers are saying that the Harry Potter phenomenon may never again be seen.
