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Scholastic Sells 11 Million Copies of Harry Potter in Twelve Weeks

Press release from the issuing company

NEW YORK, Sept. 24 -- Scholastic announced today that since its June 21 release twelve weeks ago, the company has sold 11 million copies of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Scholastic released the fifth Harry Potter book at midnight on June 21 and sold an astonishing 5 million copies in the first 24 hours, breaking all publishing records. The company also announced an innovative new print advertising campaign targeting adults who have not read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The ads will feature unlikely types of adult readers and fans of the bestseller including a tattooed biker, a fashionista, skateboarders and sports fans. Using some of J.K. Rowling's most magical creations as headlines {quidditch, flying broomsticks, invisibility cloaks, flying cars}, the ads all feature the same tagline "We all have our reasons. What's yours?" The ads are scheduled to run in Rolling Stone, US Weekly, Time Out NY and Outside with a combined circulation of over 5.8 million. "We know that Harry Potter is a reading phenomenon and that millions of children and adults are huge fans," said Barbara Marcus, President Scholastic Children's Books. "This campaign is to attract the 18-35 year old audience and to convince them that when they read Harry Potter they join people who have the same lifestyle as they do. We also want them to know that there is a vast number of adult fans who cross demographics, age and gender groups who have embraced these novels." Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the follow-up book to J.K. Rowling's #1 best-sellers Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. On July 8, 2000 Scholastic published Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which at the time, broke all publishing records with a first printing of 3.8 million. The book sold an unprecedented 3 million copies in its first weekend on sale sending Scholastic back to press for an additional 3 million copies. There are over 90 million copies of the first four Harry Potter books in print. Each of the books has been a #1 bestseller and continues to remain on bestseller lists.

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