HBP Information Galore

To go with your fresh Half-Blood Prince cover themes, we have lots of news to report this morning:

USA Today is reporting that the initial run of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince books in the United States will start at 10.8 million. That’s a whopping 4 million more than the then-record-breaking initial print run for Order of the Phoenix. The article also mentions one of MuggleNet’s recent polls.

On the other side of the world, the BBC is running a story on higher-than-expected HBP pre-orders. This, causing “record bumper sales.”

And lastly, we now know what Scholastic is planning leading up to the release of Book 6. A press release dated March 30 details the company’s plans:

The comprehensive marketing plan for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which officially kicks off on April 7th marking the “100 Day Countdown to Harry,” includes: a multi-tiered national advertising campaign; a first-time-ever “Harry Potter” crossword puzzle in the “New York Times;” online activities and downloadables; promotional giveaways; and midnight parties at retail locations across the country.

The full press release can be found here, and thanks to Conrad, Kayla, Ryan, and Brian for the links!