Harry Potter conjures up record US print run

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2005

NEW YORK (AFP) — Scholastic Inc., the US publisher of the Harry Potter books, announced a record-breaking first print run of 10.8 million copies for the sixth volume in J.K. Rowling's hugely successful series.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will go on sale in the United States at midnight on July 16, with major bookstores already planning special parties for devoted young fans of the fictional boy wizard.

Harry's last outing, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," became the fastest selling book in US publishing history, selling five million copies in the first 24 hours after its release in June, 2003.

The print run for the fifth volume was 6.8 million copies, and Barbara Marcus, president of Scholastic Children's Books, said the decision to...