Comments on: There’s Something About Harry

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:24:39 +0000

News flash of interest: the major news organizations reported yesterday that J.K. Rowling’s “final” installment of the Harry Potter series has now tallied advance sales of 1 million copies even though the book won’t be released until the end of July!
That has to be a record breaker for any book to date! Is this hotly anticipated, or what?

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:17:46 +0000

Hi Elaine,
Thank you for your insights. Don’t know why, but I feel as though Harry won’t be allowed to ride into the sunset. Public pressure may induce Ms. Rowling to keep Harry going. Even if that doesn’t happen, to your point: he’ll become another classic figure even if he loses pop cult status. Still: Harry’s been a favorite for quite a while now. He just might have more staying power than the average figure in popular culture.
Good point, Ann. I suspect the book will be coming out right after the next movie installment to keep whetting the public’s appetite for more. I mean, how can we forget about Harry: he’s everywhere!

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Thu, 03 May 2007 16:13:44 +0000

Interesting that the book is being released a week or so after the release of the fifth film. From a marketing perspective, is the “All Potter All the Time” approach a good one — or would it be better to have more measured release dates?

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Thu, 03 May 2007 15:11:36 +0000

Ted, I agree with you that there’s something about Harry. My son hates reading anything – except for Harry Potter books.
I aniticpate the movies as much as the kids do, being a fan of quality children’s fantasy. Though I read many kids lit during a term of children’s literature in college, I admit that time is focused now on business activities, marketing journals, blogs and such, otherwise, I’d be engrossed in the Potter books, too.
The only thing I disagree with is the longevity of Harry’s popularity. I do think new fans will emerge with each new generation, but as with everything else in popular culture, the long 15 minutes of Harry’s fame will wane. Rowling’s books will still be purchased and read, or taken out of school and public libraries just as kids’ classics before him.