Sorry, that headline may have been a tad premature, as no official release date has yet been announced. Yesterday, however, author J.K. Rowling did finally release a title for the eagerly anticipated sixth volume in the wildly popular series, ending months of speculation. Fans will have to settle for the title alone -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- as scant few additional details were disclosed. The financial juggernaut that is the Harry Potter franchise just keeps on rolling.
The latest entry in the series -- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- was an unprecedented success. Details of the book were guarded as tightly as a dark wizard in Azkaban, until pent-up demand on the novel's June 21 release date manifested into a phenomenon never before seen by American booksellers. Barnes & Noble
Sales at Borders
FedEx
Collectively, the Harry Potter series has been a boon to publisher Scholastic
Whereas most series begin to crumble after the first few installments, this one is only getting stronger. If the trend continues, and I see no reason why it shouldn't, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will eclipse the already lofty sales records set by its predecessors and drive phenomenal traffic to stores and websites. When that magical day arrives, bookstores will see an undeniable boost to revenues. Be leery of investing based solely on the Hogwarts gang, however, as cutthroat pricing has historically kept many of the galleons (and dollars) from reaching the bottom line.
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Fool contributor Nathan Slaughter loves the Harry Potter novels, but was, as mentioned above, not thrilled with the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. He owns none of the companies listed.