There Will Soon Be 7 - Scholastic Announces Record-Breaking 12 Million First Printing in United States of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Multi-Million Dollar Marketing Campaign Including Knight Bus Tour and the 7

Questions of Harry Potter to Support July 21st Publication

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    NEW YORK, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic Inc., the global
 children's publishing and media company, announced today that J.K.
 Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will have a record-breaking
 first printing of 12 million copies in the U.S., and a multi-million dollar
 marketing campaign to support the highly anticipated release at 12:01 a.m.
 on July 21st. The first printing for the seventh book in the Harry Potter
 series breaks the record held by the sixth book, Harry Potter and the
 Half-Blood Prince, which had a 10.8 million first printing in 2005 and sold
 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours.
     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070314/NYW085 )
     The Scholastic "THERE WILL SOON BE 7" marketing plan for Harry Potter
 and the Deathly Hallows officially launches on April 17th and includes:
     * 7 Questions of Harry Potter campaign - Beginning on April 17 2007,
       Scholastic will release one question every two weeks.  These are the big
       questions fans debate at great length online, at book clubs and in
       everyday conversations, and that they hope J.K. Rowling will answer in
       this final installment.  The questions will be posted on scholastic.com
       and released through advertising and publicity outlets.  The final
       question will be released on July 7th.
 
     * Knight Bus National Tour - On June 2nd , exactly seven weeks prior to
       publication, a touring Knight Bus, based on the unique vehicle in the
       Harry Potter books, will take off from  New York City and travel to
       40 libraries in 10 major metropolitan areas all across the country.  In
       each location where the bus stops, fans will be invited to visit the
       Knight Bus and share on video their thoughts and feelings about the
       Harry Potter books.  Select video clips from each location will be
       uploaded for viewing and sharing on www.scholastic.com/harrypotter.
 
     * Retail Promotions:  Scholastic will send THERE WILL SOON BE 7 table top
       easelbacks and millions of collectible bookmarks to retail accounts and
       libraries throughout the country.  Both the easelbacks and the bookmarks
       will feature one of the 7 Questions as each is released.  Beginning
       June 2nd, THERE WILL SOON BE 7 countdown standees (a 5 foot corrugated
       promotional piece featuring Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows cover
       art and a 7 week countdown feature to July 21st) will be displayed in
       retail accounts and libraries.  And, finally, to celebrate the big day,
       Scholastic will distribute millions of tattoos for giveaways at what is
       sure to be a record number of Harry Potter midnight parties.
 
     * www.scholastic.com/harrypotter - Scholastic's online marketing campaign
       launches on April 17th.  In addition to a desktop alert downloadable,
       poster printouts, bookmark printouts, and updated Wizard Challenge
       questions, the site will include:
           - Shrieking Shack Poll - will invite fans to vote for their favorite
             answer to each of the 7 Questions of Harry Potter, and lead them
             to the Discussion Chamber Message Boards where they can converse
             with other fans.
           - 7 Word Review - fans can review their favorite Harry Potter book
             in 7 words or less and everyone can vote for their favorite.
           - Knight Bus Tour Tracker - On June 1, the site will launch the
             Knight Bus Tour Tracker as well as Knight Bus Blogs and Videos.
           - Book Release Party Finder - this online guide will list various
             retailers' midnight parties nationwide searchable by zip code,
             city and state so fans can find a celebratory party to attend in
             their community.
 
     * Advertising - Scholastic's national advertising campaign, based on the
       theme THERE WILL SOON BE 7, will appear on electronic billboards,
       online, and in print media nationwide beginning in April.
     The fastest-selling book in history, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
 Prince, J.K. Rowling's sixth Harry Potter book, was released on June 16,
 2005 with a first printing of 10.8 million. It sold 6.9 million copies in
 the first 24 hours. All six Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the
 Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and
 the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter
 and the Order of the Phoenix, as well as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
 Prince have been number one bestsellers in the United States, Britain, and
 around the world. The American editions of the Harry Potter books are
 published under Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine imprint.
     Scholastic Corporation ( SCHL) is the world's largest publisher
 and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology.
 Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and
 products for use in school and at home, including children's books,
 magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television
 programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products
 and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary
 school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and
 direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and
 television networks; and the Company's Internet site, www.scholastic.com.
 
 

SOURCE Scholastic Inc.