Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
After posting the possible Book VII titles here and here, 'HarryPotterFan' again returns with a report that claims we could have the seventh installment for Harry Potter by summer of next year.
Harry Potter Book 7 Coming in 2007?
The date seems to fit, especially with Warner Bros' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix set for release on July 13th. I always have appreciated the Potter release dates as they have typically landed near or on my birthday. When is my birthday you ask? Today, July 17th! I am now 25 but still feel 18 years old! (feel free to tell me happy birthday through my email below or on my myspace account -- flabbybuns)
Now why the hell am I working today? That's right, I need money!
Anywho, CNN's financial section has recently delivered a report that believes it may be possible to see the Book VII of Harry Potter on July 7, 2007 (7-7-07). The date is easy to remember and will also help in getting the Potter fever to an all new high before the release of the fifth film. Besides just being a solid date to release the book, however, Scholastic has other, financial, reasons as well.
To be sure, this is all just speculation. But the book's publication date couldn't come soon enough for Scholastic (Charts), the company with the rights to publish Potter in the U.S.
Having millions of Potter books flying off the shelves like Firebolt brooms is just what the struggling publisher needs.
Shares of Scholastic have fallen more than 6 percent this year and are hovering near their 52-week low.
Last month, credit rating agency Moody's downgraded Scholastic's debt to a below investment grade level, or so-called "junk" bond status, which makes it more expensive for the company to borrow money.
"In the past, Potter has provided a catalyst to the stock ahead of the publication date," he said. "Yes, bears would say, 'Why pay up for non-recurring revenue?' But we don't think the stock is going to flat-line. There will be a lot of euphoria and speculation."
Analysts expect earnings for the current fiscal year, which will end in May 2007 and is therefore most likely not have the benefit of a new Potter book, to decline by about 3 percent and that sales will fall 6 percent.
But analysts expect a comeback in fiscal 2008, the year when the final Potter book will probably be out. Consensus estimates call for a 3 percent jump in sales and 38 percent surge in profits.
Since Book VII has been announced as the last book in the series, just imagine how often Scholastic begs JK Rowling to write more.
Check out the full report over at CNN.
Update: It turns out that HPANA had predicted this fact long ago (December of 2005):
That, and it is the biggest stroke of magical marketing luck so far this century. The book simply can't not be released on 07/07/07. It's too perfect.
Rowling has hinted at the significance of the number 7, most recently in August when her official site's Wizard of the Month was an arithmancer who discovered the number's magical properties. In Half-Blood Prince, it was revealed that Lord Voldemort had made seven horcruxes (himself included). Quidditch teams have seven players each. Gryffindor Tower's entrance is on the seventh floor at Hogwarts.
Stay tuned for updates.
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