Potter fans cast spell on first-day sales

NEW YORK, July 23 (UPI) -- Readers anxious about Harry Potter's fate snapped up 8.3 million copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in the first 24 hours of its U.S. release.

The tally for the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's monster series crushed the first-day record, also belonging to the wizard's tale. According to U.S. publisher Scholastic, the sixth installment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," sold nearly 7 million copies in the first 24 hours of its debut in July 2005.

Publishers usually sell books to wholesalers and retailers at a 40 percent to 45 percent discount on retail, meaning Saturday sales alone could generate more than $150 million for New York publisher Scholastic and Rowling, Variety reported Monday.

Scholastic, which printed 12 million copies, compared the release to another iconic British invasion in the 1960s.

"The excitement, anticipation, and just plain hysteria that came over the entire country this weekend was a bit like the Beatles' first visit to the U.S.," Scholastic President Lisa Holton said in a statement.

Internationally sales of "Deathly Hallows" also appeared to smash records. One book chain in Britain reported selling 15 copies every second of the title.