Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Pots And Fans

The sixth Potter book is slated for a mid-July release, I think it's the 16th. The marketing hype surrounding the 672 page (that's the publisher's figure) release has to be huge. Scholastic, the American publisher, will have a 10.4 million initial print run for the book. The highest ever for any book and 4 million more than the earlier Potter offering. The book has already hit the top spot on many bestseller lists including Amazon. All this just based on the pre-orders

So far the book's had its share of controversies/rumours. First we had the title controversy way back in June last year. Then Hagrid was rumoured to be the Half-Blood Prince. The other contenders were the usual suspects, Tom Riddle, Harry Potter. People speculated as to whether Aurthur Weasley would be the new Minister for Magic but JK Rowling's website struck down that suggestion. The saga of rumours jumping up to get your attention will go on till the book is out. So will the scams like the Potter e-book scam. One thing's for sure though, the books (No. 6 & No. 7) will be darker, probably morbid to some extent, than their predecessors-Book 5 wasn't particularly happy. There will be more deaths as Potter grows older. Not that any of these predictions are affecting sales, the marketing juggernaut or the growing popularity of these books.

2 comments:

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  2. Seen the cover photos?


    I'm following the hoopla very closely. I missed it all these years and I don't want to miss out on the chance again. I identify with those Potter fans even if I'm not all that hot on the books myself. They're geeks, and I suppose I am too.

    Supriya.

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