Harry the Fifth Brings More Magic to Book Sense

When the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. on June 21, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will bring its magic to booksellers everywhere. Local events including sleepover parties, midnight openings, and costume balls are in the works at independents around the country. Now Book Sense has brewed a special sweepstakes -- Make Some Magic with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- for every purchaser of the book between 12:01 a.m. on June 21 and 11:59 p.m. on June 26. The sweepstakes will have one winner, chosen at random from all entries. The winner will receive a family trip to Las Vegas with tickets to see the superb muggle magician Lance Burton and copies of books in the Harry Potter series. Booksellers are eligible for their own contest prize -- a $2,000 credit for Scholastic books (present or future).

Consumers who purchase Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix between 12:01 a.m. on June 21 and 11:59 p.m. on June 26 at a participating Book Sense store or through BookSense.com will receive a collectible bookmark that includes information on how to enter the sweepstakes online. Copies of the book can be reserved at anytime until the on-sale date, but customers will only receive the bookmark when they pay for the book. Consumers will then have three weeks to enter online.

To qualify for the bookseller prize, stores must submit pictures of their Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix display to Meg Zelickson Smith, associate director of Book Sense Marketing, by July 31, 2003. Pictures can be in digital or print format and can be sent by e-mail or post (owls discouraged) by the July 31 deadline. Questions should be addressed to Smith at (800) 637-0037, ext. 1239 or [email protected].

Look for all materials in the May white box including an easel for posting on June 1. All Book Sense stores will receive the materials unless a store chooses to opt out of the promotion. To opt out, booksellers need to complete an online form at www.bookweb.org/read/6078.

Just for fun, BookSense.com will post a Potter-a-Day trivia question, beginning 21 days before the publication date.

To read more about Order of the Phoenix events planned by booksellers around the country, click here. -- Nomi Schwartz