At 12:01 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Saturday, July 21, cartons containing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be ripped open by retailers around the world (everywhere but North America, which opens them five hours later) and fans will learn how the extraordinarily popular series by J.K. Rowling concludes. With 325 million copies of the first six volumes sold worldwide, Potter has become a global phenomenon, and the release of volume 7 will be no exception.

Rowling's U.K. publisher Bloomsbury, in cooperation with Penguin, is distributing most of the English-language editions (the exceptions are Raincoast in Canada and Allen & Unwin in Australia) of Hallows to dozens of countries in time for stores to have them in stock on the 21st (translated editions will not be available for several months, at the earliest). With the embargo expiration based on GMT, retailers in such countries as Australia will stay open into the early hours of the 21st—9 a.m. in Sydney for example—in order to get copies of the book into readers' hands as soon as possible. While Scholastic is printing 12 million copies in the U.S., it is the Bloomsbury edition that will dominate worldwide (Bloombury will not reveal total printed). Even in Australia and Canada, the publishers are following the U.K. model of printing editions with different covers for adults and children. In at least one locale, however, the Potter phenomena must bow to realities: there are no Potter parties planned for Fiji, Bloomsbury reports, because of fears of a possible coup.

Another problem Potter can't solve is discounting. Booksellers worldwide are complaining about the steep discounts being offered on Hallows by a variety of outlets, ranging from online retailers to supermarkets to hardware stores. In the U.S., Scholastic is selling the title on its Web site and at its two stores at a 30% discount—which galls some booksellers. “How can someone say this is the price we want you to sell the book at, then they don't sell it at that price?” wonders Peter Glassman, owner of New York City's Books of Wonder. “It's like Sony setting a recommended price on TVs for retailers and then telling customers that they can get it cheaper from them directly.”

When it comes to all things Potter, passions run deep.

AUSTRALIA:Sydney independent Gleebooks is running the Gleewarts Express, which will take 1,400 Potter fans, dressed as their favorite characters, on a steam-train trip that will culminate with the release of the book. Gleebooks charged A$135 for the experience, which was sold out two months ago.Publisher: Allen & UnwinPrint run: 750,000 (estimate)Cover price: A$49.95Discount price: A$29.95 at major bookstore chainsOf note: More than one million copies of HP6 were sold in Australia and New Zealand.CANADA:
To compete with other outlets, many independents in Toronto have been preselling the book at a 30% discount. At Mabel's Fables, the party will start at 10 p.m. and the first 60 people in line will be able to enter the store's candle-lit story room for a reading from wizards.
Publisher: Raincoast Books
Print run: 1.2 million (estimate)
Cover price: C$45
Discount price: C$22.50 at Amazon.ca
Of note: Demand is stronger in 2007 than for HP6 in 2005.
LOS ANGELES:
Things are a bit laid back in the City of Angels. Children's Book World is holding its first-ever Potter party, starting at 9:30 p.m., when a magician will take center stage. Skylight Books is having two parties: 10 p.m.—midnight to hand out copies of the book, followed by a sleepover. Skylight expects to sell about 400 copies at a 10% discount.
NEW YORK:
Potter fans in New York City can choose from a number of parties, including one thrown by publisher Scholastic, which is closing down the street behind its office on Mercer St. to create “Harry Potter Place.” The street fair will run from 5 to 11 p.m., then customers can line up to collect their copy of the book (preordered from Scholastic, either through its store or online). In 2005, 5,000 people attended the party.
Books of Wonder is selling the book for full price and will kick off its party at 8 p.m. Among the prizes offered is a first edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban signed by both J.K. Rowling and illustrator Mary GrandPré; GrandPré will be at the store from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday to sign the new book. When the first Potter novel was released, Books of Wonder teamed the unknown Rowling with author Lynne Reid Banks to add marquee value.
The Barnes & Noble Union Square store will play host to Potter audio narrator Jim Dale beginning at 10:30 p.m. Dale will discuss his experiences as a narrator and read excerpts from previous books.
CHICAGO:
Many stores are teaming up with local businesses to sponsor street parties, but the most elaborate is in suburban Naperville, Ill., where Anderson's Books has joined with 65 local businesses for a weekend-long Party That Shall Not Be Named festival. As part of the festivities, restaurants are offering special Potter menus; the YMCA will hold ground-based Quidditch demos; and a photo studio will provide complimentary portraits of children “of all ages” dressed in costume. Nearly 40,000 people attended the Half-Blood Prince celebration, and Anderson's is hoping for 60,000 this year. It has presold 1,500 copies of Hallows at $24.99.
Publisher: Scholastic
Print run: 12 million
Cover price: $34.99
Discount price: $17.99 at Amazon
Of note: Scholastic is selling the book through its Web site at a 30% discount, $24.49.
SCOTLAND:
Two years ago, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was launched from Edinburgh Castle. This year's events are much more muted. Most stores will stay open through midnight with themed parties, and hundreds of Potter enthusiasts are expected in the city, thanks to excursions arranged by U.S. travel companies.
IRELAND:
Eason's flagship store on O'Connell Street in Dublin is expecting 3,000 fans to attend its party, and a national radio broadcast will be aired live from the store.
ENGLAND:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be officially launched at London's Natural History Museum, where J.K. Rowling will autograph 1,700 copies of the final volume and will give a reading for 500 fans who attend the party.
FRANCE:
WH Smith is selling the title for 25 euros (23.75 euros to partygoers). At its store in the rue de Rivoli, WH Smith will feature a window with one of “the expensive replicas of the broom from the films.”
PAKISTAN:
Liberty Books in Karachi will hold a party from midnight to 10 a.m. Hallows will be available at 4:01 a.m. local time, and, according to the store, it will be the first time any book will be made available in Pakistan at the moment of global release.
THAILAND:
The first in line at the Asia Books party in Bangkok will receive a certificate saying “First Owner of HP7 in Thailand” as well as a certificate valued at 20,000 baht (about $600) to shop at the store for the rest of the year.
CHINA:
Penguin is the agent here, where an all-day party at the Multifunctional Hall of the China National Publication Import and Export Group in Beijing starts at 7 a.m. local time. First 100 customers receive a ticket to another party in the evening.
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Print run: Not available
Cover price: £17.99
Discount price: £8.87 at Tesco
Of note:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold 2,009,574 copies in the U.K. on the first day of sale.