A Harry Potter Update From Scholastic

With the publication date of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows just a little more than three weeks away, Lisa Holton, president of the Scholastic Book Fairs and Trade divisions, has sent a communication to the company's customers to underscore the importance of keeping all boxes sealed and in a secure location not visible to the public until the 12:01 a.m., July 21, publication date of the book.

Holton further underscored that booksellers who know of anybody opening boxes or obtaining actual books prior to 12:01 a.m. on July 21 should immediately contact their Scholastic rep or Scholastic headquarters directly at (800) 558-8341.

Scholastic is also asking booksellers to share information about their party plans for the July 21 release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final volume in J.K. Rowling's record-breaking series. The information will be used by Scholastic for publicity purposes, as well as for its Midnight Party Finder to launch on Scholastic.com on July 7. Fans will be able to use the party finder to search for events in their areas.

Booksellers interested in participating should send details about their events to the attention of the Scholastic publicity team via a form at www.scholastic.com/harrypotterparties.

Questions may be addressed to Scholastic at [email protected].