A Record 10.8M New Potter Books Set To Be Printed
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Scholastic Corporation, the American publisher of the Harry Potter books, said it will print 10.8 million copies of the sixth installment of the series.
The American printing of “Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince” will set a record, Scholastic said in a statement. The book, by J.K. Rowling, will be released at midnight on July 16 in America, Britain, Canada, and Australia, Scholastic said.
More than 200 million copies of the Harry Potter books have sold worldwide, fueling revenue growth at Scholastic and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, its London-based publisher. The fifth book, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” sold 5 million copies in America on its release date, June 21, 2003, Scholastic spokeswoman Kris Moran said in an interview.
The sixth book chronicles further adventures of the bespectacled young wizard and his friends at the Hogwarts school. Revenue from the book series fell to $50 million in fiscal 2003 from $200 million in fiscal 2001. The movie version of the third book, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” was released June 4.
Shares of Scholastic fell 30 cents to $37.09 Tuesday in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. The shares have gained 37% in the past year.
