Harry Potter: The Countdown Begins

By: Michele Filgate
Topics: Culture Watch

Michele Filgate is a Production Associate for the CBS Evening News.

(Scholastic)

I have no shame. I'm not about to walk around in a wizard costume, but I'm in a magical mood today. I'll openly admit that this morning, on my train ride into work, I was the obnoxious passenger on the cell phone, sharing last minute theories with friends about the ultimate fate of Harry and the most anticipated book the publishing world has ever seen.

At least I'm not quite as obsessed that I'm willing to nearly drown for my book.

Tonight bookstores around the world will be busier than the week before Christmas, as hundreds of fans line up to get their hands on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". As a lifelong bookworm, and someone who has worked at several bookstores, I can attest that the bookselling world has never seen anything like this. Sure, the last several Harry Potter books have had their share of hype. Tonight, though, will be a historical moment. I'm betting a record will be set for the most books ever sold in a few hours. That doesn't mean the sales will be the most beneficial for bookstores, due to selling the book at a big discount. The books won't be snatched up as quick as a snitch flies in Quidditch just because everyone prefers a good epic story. It's also thanks to a marketing strategy keeping people transfixed under the Scholastic spell.

Despite a ton of money being spent on security, details on the book seeped out to the public faster than a very leaky cauldron. Both The New York Times and The Baltimore Sun published reviews, and pictures of the book appeared on the internet, much to the annoyance of many fans and publishers themselves.

Will the cantankerous and aloof Snape turn out to be good or evil? Will Harry die? Will Dumbledore pull a Gandalf and come back as an even more powerful wizard? Questions fans have been waiting to find out for years will be answered in less than twelve tantalizing hours. The speculation will dissipate and we readers can focus on what really matters…losing yourself in a spellbinding book.

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