Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which will be released throughout the United States on July 16, will see record print of 10.8 million copies in the first run itself surpassing the previous record held in 2003 by none other then Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with a run of 6.8 million copies.
The publisher of Harry Porter books in the US, Scholastic Inc said it is the advance orders from people that have made them to take the decision of increasing the number of copies by 4 million.
"We have worked very closely with all of our accounts to anticipate the level of demand for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," said Barbara Marcus, president of Scholastic Children's Books. "Once again, we are hearing from our accounts that the pre-orders are phenomenal," Marcus said.
Scholastic said book stores have already started planning special parties for their customers and to welcome the sixth volume in JK Rowling's hugely successful series.
On its part, Scholastic is planning a full-fledged marketing blitz beginning April 7. It will also run Harry Potter crossword puzzle in various US newspapers, while people will get to watch video advertisements on airplanes and various electronic billboards along the street.
In addition, online activities, giveaway prizes and midnight parties will be part of the100 day celebration.
Meanwhile, the Harry Potter London, England based publisher Bloomsbury said it expects its original profit target for 2005 to exceed once the sixth volume hits the stores.
The publisher believes its profit before tax and goodwill for Dec. 2005 is likely to be £20 ($53.53) million, as against last year’s £16.4 million. Analysts however feel it could be somewhere around £18 million. Bloomsbury’s shares gained on the news.
