Harry Potter

Candlewick to publish interactive tie-ins to J.K. Rowling movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; IPG acquires INscribe Digital; Simon &Schuster to distribute Hazelden Publishing; WNBA announces new executive officers; SCIBA Book Award finalists announced; PEN America urges presidential candidates to provide open environment for journalists

Bookstores around the country are hosting release parties on July 30 and 31 to celebrate the publication of the official script book of the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II.

Binc Foundation names new development director; Amazon to open third brick-and-mortar bookstore; Patricia Hespanha appointed executive director of HarperCollins Brasil; Scholastic to publish new edition of Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts; Fodor’s Travel sold to Internet Brands 

New Harry Potter play to be released in print, e-book form; Germany fixes e-book prices to protect bricks-and-mortar stores; Agate Publishing launches children’s imprint with African American focus; National Book Foundation appoints Lisa Lucas executive director; Ingram names new COO for VitalSource; NAACP Image Award winners in literature announced; Audio Publishers Association names award finalists 

Danielle Ross, a customer of Otto's, A Booklovers Paradise in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is the winner of the Independent Muggles for Harry Potter Sweepstakes. Ross, who was selected randomly from more than 28,500 customer entries at nearly 300 ABA member stores, won a trip for four to London.

The much-anticipated release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the celebrated series by J.K. Rowling, fulfilled the high expectations of booksellers, Potter partygoers -- and based on early reports -- readers of the 759-page volume. Online spoilers and copies released prematurely did not dampen the excitement and suspense that accompanied the momentous occasion.

ABA member bookstores participating in the "Independent Muggles for Harry Potter" Sweepstakes, which concluded on July 24, should send all customer coupons to the American Booksellers Association, Attn.: Meg Smith, 200 White Plains Road, 6th Floor, Tarrytown, New York 10591. All entries must be received no later than August 2, 2007.

On Wednesday, July 18, Scholastic announced that it learned of a breach in the on-sale date of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. According to a Scholastic press release, a number of individuals received copies of the book through the mail, beginning on Tuesday, July 17, as a result of a breach of the on-sale agreement by the distributor Levy Home Entertainment and shipments made by DeepDiscount.com, a customer of the distributor.

There's still time for American Booksellers Association member bookstores to add to the excitement of their celebrations for the July 21 release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scholastic) by offering customers a chance to win a trip for four to London through the "Independent Muggles for Harry Potter" Sweepstakes.

With the July 21 release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows less than 10 days away, booksellers are reminded that on-sale violations should immediately be reported to a Scholastic rep or to Scholastic headquarters directly at (800) 558-8341.

In July 2 letter "to all concerned," Lisa Holton, president of Scholastic Book Fairs and Trade, wrote:

Booksellers planning special events for the July 21 release of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows should be on the lookout for a quantity of exclusive "Independent Muggles for Harry Potter" decals in the June Red Box mailing. The decals are being provided by Scholastic to serve as giveaways at in-store events. 

This week, ABA announced that ABA member bookstores have the chance to give away a trip for four to London to one of their customers as a Grand Prize in the "Independent Muggles for Harry Potter" sweepstakes, sponsored by Book Sense.

Continuing our coverage of independent booksellers' celebrations marking the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Scholastic), which began last week, here Bookselling This Week presents photos provided by Reader's Choice in Centerville, Ohio; Village Bookstore in Pleasantville, New York; Second Story Book Shop in Chappaqua, New York; The Storyteller in Lafayette, California; Octavia Books in New Orleans; Brystone Children's Books in Fort Worth, Texas; and The Learned Owl Bookshop in Hudson, Ohio