Deathly Hallows Delivers Record Sales

Posted on July 24, 2007

Booksellers called it the biggest day in publishing history and they were right. The latest Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold 11 million copies in the U.S. and the UK in the first twenty-four hours.

Scholastic says the book sold 8.3 million copies in the U.S. and 2.65 million copies in Britain. These were records in both countries. Scholastic also says there were lines for the latest entry in the series at bookstores around the world.

Barnes & Noble also provided some Harry Potter records specific to their stores in a press release. The book should continue to break records as more people buy the book. Also boosting Potter popularity is the latest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which has had a stellar box office performance of its own. Heavy discounting means some booksellers may have not profited directly from Harry Potter book sales but all the extra foot traffic likely boosted sales of other books. These book sales have booksellers salivating over the thought of more Harry Potter novels beyond book seven but so far all author J.K. Rowling is promising a Harry Potter Encyclopedia.

Many of the people who pre-ordered the book or purchased it on the book's launch day also had to be speed readers to avoid the vast number of spoilers places on message boards, YouTube comments and social media websites. Even the New York Times tried to spoil the fun by breaking the editorial embargo and publishing an early review. As you might expect author J.K. Rowling was not pleased.