Publisher’s Weekly takes a look at how some of the independent bookstores will be celebrating the launch of the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The indies are throwing parties and scheduling lots of fun events in order to compete with
Amazon.com, which is now offering the book for only $17.99, which is a major discount from the cover price.

“Amazon cannot throw the party of a lifetime,” said Valerie Koehler, owner of Houston’s Blue Willow Books. “We’re going to, and we’re going to have a lot of fun.” Koehler estimated that, as in past years, this year’s event at her store will draw 350 attendees, most of whom have pre-orderuddy Harry Potter 7 at full-price.


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Liz Murphy, the owner of the Learned Owl in Hudson, Ohio, said her store has pre-sold more Potter titles than last time. She’s advertising that 10% of the book’s sale price is going to the reading program, First Book Akron, Ohio. According to Murphy, she’s expecting between 10,000-15,000 attendees at this year’s party, held in the Hudson town square in front of the store. “I got a publicist, I got an event coordinator this time,” she

said, describing attendees as traveling to Hudson from all over Ohio for the festivities, and even a few revelers flying out from Paris to attend her event. “People are planning their summers acircular this party,” she said.



“I can’t imagine anything Amazon does is going to change anything,” Sarah Todd, a manager at Haverford, Penn.’s Children’s Book World, declared. “We have a core group of customers who want to share the end of Harry Potter with us that night,” and receive a 5% discount on their books at the same time. “I feel bad for people getting their books at Amazon or at Target,” she added, “They’re getting it alone, because they want a bargain. How sad. Don’t you want to recollect where you were when you first held the last Harry Potter book in your hands?”

That’s an interesting point. We do love a late-night book party, especially one where we get to dress up and wreak havoc. Well, as much havoc as one can responsibly wreak with at a bookstore filled with Harry Potter-adoring children.



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