Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince  paperback edition on July 25th

J.K. Rowling's bestseller Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince to be released in paperback on July 25, 2006.

19 January 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

The magic of Harry Potter never seems to fade. Children’s publishing, education and media firm Scholastic is all set to release the paperback edition of J.K. Rowling's sixth novel with Harry Potter as the protagonist --- Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince -- on July 25, 2006. The paperback edition is likely to have 672 pages and would cost $9.99.

Scholastic aims to print 2 million copies of the Half Blood prince. This would take the number of all the Harry Potter books in print over the 120-million mark.

Harry Potter has had a phenomenal success run with books as well as movies with all the sundry rooting for Rowling’s protagonist worldwide.

In the US, the hardcover edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold almost 7 million copies in 24 hours from midnight of July 16, 2005. This is considered to be the fastest selling book in the history of publishing.

Half Blood Prince broke all records including that of the preceding Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with an initial print order of a whopping 10.8 million. AllHarry Potter books and movies have been in bestseller lists.

Potter books have sold 55.6 million in hardcover and 28.5 million as paperback, with combined sales touching 84 million copies in the United States alone. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had the maximum sales in hardcover in US – 8.9 million. In paperback, Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone netted maximum sales with 10.9 million copies in United States. In combined hardcover and paperack sales also Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone leads in the US, with 17 million copies.

Rowling has planned seven books in the Harry Potter series depicting witchcraft and wizadry, with young Harry Potter in the forefront of the universally acclaimed story. Harry Potter books have sold 300 million copies worldwide, though the books have been flayed for promoting occult and superstitions.

Scholastic Corporation is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books.