New York, NY, 2016-Jul-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II is the Company’s most pre-ordered book since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007. The new Harry Potter book will be released at midnight on July 31, and Barnes & Noble is guaranteeing delivery on Monday, August 1, for online pre-orders at BN.com, and in-store ship-to-home pre-orders, placed by noon ET on Friday, July 29.
Following its announcement in February, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been no. 1 on the BN.com bestseller list, and is expected to be Barnes & Noble’s biggest book of the year. Stores across the country are currently preparing to host the fan-favorite Countdown to Midnight Magic parties on July 30 at 8pm, leading up to the midnight release of the book (July 31).
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II is a new play by Jack Thorne, and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The new script book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II, is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is Barnes & Noble’s most pre-ordered book since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and we expect it to be our biggest selling book of the year,” said Mary Amicucci, Chief Merchandising Officer at Barnes & Noble. “To guarantee that our customers get the new Harry Potter book as quickly as possible, Barnes & Noble is the only national retailer that’s guaranteeing delivery of the book on August 1, for both online and ship-to-home pre-orders placed by noon ET on Friday, July 29. Our booksellers are also preparing to host big crowds for our signature Midnight Magic parties on July 30.”
Countdown to Midnight Magic Party–Saturday, July 30, at 8 PM
Harry Potter is back, and on Saturday, July 30, at 8 PM, Barnes & Noble stores nationwide will host a special Countdown to Midnight Magic Party leading up to the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II, which goes on sale July 31 at midnight. The party will feature trivia, costume contests, face-painting, wand-making and a special Muggle Wall where customers can share their favorite memories of Harry Potter. Additionally, customers can still enter the Barnes & Noble exclusive Harry Potter Limited Edition Cover Prints Sweepstakes for a chance to win a set of 7 Harry Potter Limited Edition Cover Prints*. The sweepstakes launched during Barnes & Noble’s “Relive the Magic” event on June 24 and two customers from each store who enter the sweepstakes will be chosen as winners at random at the Countdown to Midnight Magic Party.
On Sunday, July 31, customers can return to their local store to discuss the new book and participate in special Harry Potter-themed events and activities, as a follow-up to the Countdown to Midnight Magic Party the night before.
There’s still time for customers to pre-order their copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide and online at BN.com, with guaranteed delivery by Monday, August 1, for pre-orders placed by noon ET on Friday, July 29. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II is also available to pre-order in eBook format on NOOK® devices and the Free NOOK Reading App™ for Android™. For more information visit NOOK.com.
The Harry Potter celebrations will continue on into the fall, as Barnes & Noble commemorates the release of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition in October and the highly anticipated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie, which arrives in theaters in November. More details on these events will be announced in the coming months.
Customers in attendance at Barnes & Noble’s Harry Potter events are encouraged to upload pictures of themselves having fun to their social media channels using the hashtags #BNHP and #ReadTheMagic. For more information, they should visit bn.com/harrypotterevents or follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and like Barnes & Noble on Facebook.
*Two (2) Winners from each store will be chosen at random on or about July 31 at 12:00AM to receive a set of seven (7) Harry Potter Limited Edition Cover Prints (ARV $140.00). No Purchase necessary to enter or win. Must be 13 years of age or older and a resident of the U.S. to enter. Void where prohibited by law. See a Bookseller for complete details and Official Rules.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is a Fortune 500 company, the nation’s largest retail bookseller, and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The Company operates 640 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s premier e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). The Nook Digital business offers a lineup of popular NOOK® tablets and eReaders and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store®. The NOOK Store features more than 4 million digital books in the US (www.nook.com), plus periodicals and comics, and offers the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through Free NOOK Reading Apps™ available for Android™, iOS® and Windows®.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the Company’s corporate website at www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
Barnes & Noble®, Barnes & Noble Booksellers®, Barnes & Noble.com® and Discover Great New Writers® are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. or its affiliates. NOOK® and the NOOK logos are trademarks of Nook Digital, LLC or its affiliates.
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CONTACTS:
Mary Ellen Keating
Senior Vice President
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com
Alan McNamara
Senior Director
Corporate Communications
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3379
amcnamara@bn.com
Source: Barnes & Noble, Inc.