U.S. Harry Potter publisher Scholastic will release the paperback edition of J.K. Rowling’s sixth Potteriffic novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, on July 25, 2006. With a first printing of 2 million copies, the paperback version brings the total number of the six Harry Potter books in print in the U.S. to over 120 million.
Hitting stores at midnight on July 16, 2005, the hardcover edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Blogcritics’ reviews and news) sold 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours in the United States alone, making it the fastest selling book in publishing history.
The Bible was jealous.
With a flabbergasting initial print run of 10.8 million, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince broke all industry records, including that set in June 2003 by Rowling’s fifth novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. All six Harry Potter titles have remained on bestseller lists since publication – an amazing levitation act indeed.
The paperback edition will have a suggested retail price of $9.99 at 672 pages. The phenomenon continues.