Scholastic Orders Record-Breaking Potter Printing

-- Library Journal, 03/21/2007

Nothing about the Harry Potter series has been small, and U.S. publisher Scholastic is sending the series off with a whopping parting shot of a record-breaking 12 million copy first printing. "This is so much more than the publication of a single book," Lisa Holton, president of Scholastic Trade and Book Fairs, told the AP. "It's a true celebration of the Harry Potter movement and of the joy of reading." Though HP and the Deathly Hallows is guaranteed to be a slam dunk, Scholastic isn't taking any chances. The publisher is gearing up for the book's July 21 release with a multimillion marketing campaign dubbed "There Soon Will Be Seven" beginning April 17 (librarians attending BookExpo America will be treated to lots o' Potter no doubt), which includes a Knight Bus National Tour beginning in New York City that stops at 40 libraries in ten metropolitan areas, seven questions about Harry Potter for fans to debate with the hope they will be answered by J.K. Rowling, and a large retail program, including collectible bookmarks for libraries.