Potter advance orders top 2 million
More than two million people have pre-ordered copies of the seventh and last Harry Potter book to ensure they are among the first to discover the boy wizard’s fate. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released next week, marking the final chapter in an extraordinary publishing phenomenon.
Such is the anticipation around the final book that worldwide pre-order sales have topped two million, according to Amazon.
The online retailer’s “muggle counter” stood at 2,000,516 books ordered and counting – well above the previous record of 1.5 million for the sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
With legions of excited readers expected to be waiting by the front door for their copy, Royal Mail has revealed its plans for coping with the demand.
The company expects to deliver 600,000 editions of the blockbuster on its release date – on average, one copy for every 43 homes across the UK.
Royal Mail’s marketing director, Alex Batchelor, said: “We have been working closely with retailers for more than six months to plan our Harry Potter delivery operation with military precision.
