Which Is The Damn Point, After All

[filkertom]

I love it. I absolutely love it.

As detailed in this AP/Yahoo News story, there is actually going to be less Harry Potter merchandise in the bookstores when people go to get their copies of Half Blood Prince. Why? Because it was overpriced crap, and the stores don't want to sell it.

Harry Potter is about reading, and dreaming, and wonder, and fantasy, and a whole buncha stuff that the marketing people just don't get.

But the fans, and the bookstores, do.

Love it love it love it.





So. We've gone over this a bit before, but it's now within three weeks. Any particular plans for that weekend? Who's going to bookstore parties? Who's holding, or attending, house parties? Any parties at any conventions?

Comments

[druidsfire.livejournal.com]

I'll be cheerfully in costume (Quidditch robes) at my local bookstore at midnight. Then, after the party is over, and the book is read at home, I'll be going to a friend's place the next day for her Stargate premiere party. Yeah, it's the day after the shows premiere, but it's the only day we all had off work. :)

[allisona.livejournal.com]

I have my copy reserved at the local Indigos, so, yup, I'll be going to pick it up at midnight. Heather Borean is doing a half hour concert at that midnight party, so I hope to hear her, too!

[ericcoleman]

I'm going to be in between cons that weekend ... bummer ... but I will pick up a copy and then the fight for who gets to read it first in our house starts between myself, cryndalae and the Moose.

I don't think I will win the fight.

[jedilora.livejournal.com]

Great Northeastern War is the same bloody weekend. Hopefully I can make a run into a nearby town.

In full medieval garb. Mwaha.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Oak Park, Illinoishad a big to-do when the last book was issued and they are repeating it. It includes contests, living Wizard Chess, Quidditch, costumes, etc. This year it will begin at 2:00 on Friday and run through this next morning. My seven year old will be going with her cousins, aunt and uncle.

[sciffy-circo.livejournal.com]

Oh, heck yeah, I was at the last one. The festival was supposed to start at 7PM, and by 4PM, the streets were blocked off, and getting pretty crowded. By 1:45Am, a few parents were hnolding sleepy children in their arms and saying they hoped to get their books soon, because the village started putting parking tickets on cars at 2AM.

Yep, Oak Park is my home town. :)

It's also why I hate living in Naperville so damned much. :(

[youngcurmudgeon.livejournal.com]

(Oooh, that's a tough drive! Been to Naperville for speech team tourneys.) I'm from Oak Park and will be either at the festivities or working at the movie theater (which is allegedly doing a marathon of all three films in their air-conditioned glory). Or in Pittsburgh seeing Tamora Pierce. You know, priorities. :-)

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

I will be awaiting my copy from Amazon UK, and writing cracked-out fanfic (hey, shantih tempted me with BPAL if I'd write Dyan Ardais/Severus Snape!).


I think it will be a WIZARD PEOPLE DEAR READER night in my lonely hovel. Perhaps I will torment one of my cats by wrapping her in my Slytherin scarf.

[jss]

Harry Who?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Seen it. ;)

[jss]

Harry Seenit? Never heard of him.

[arensb.livejournal.com]

No, Harry Who, the story of a deaf, dumb, and blind wizard who learns magic and plays a mean pinball.

[jss]

And if he bleaches his head, is he that dense dumb and blond kid who can't cast a spell at all? You know: The bimbo wizard?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Actually, little Harry Who is no more than two....

[jss]

You've got a Who named Harry, only two inches tall,
And he carries all your apples that happen to fall?

[starfallz.livejournal.com]

Since I have it ordered from amazon.co.uk, I'll probably just be spending that weekend driving to Kentucky from Maryland. If some friends go to a midnight release party, I might be persuaded to tag along. :D

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

I am signed up for one of the fortypercentoff advance-order copies at my local B&N.
However, I'm going to be in Tulsa at Conestoga that weekend, and won't be in to pick up my copy until Sunday-suppertime. The clerk I talked to said he would put a note on my name in the list to set a copy in the ordinary shelf for ordered-books, but he really couldn't guarantee the store wouldn't go ahead and sell every copy they get in anyway.
There is going to be a Harry Potter party on Ffiday at Conestoga, though, with one of THEIR dealers offering discounted sales (10 or 15 percent) for about an hour past midnght.
Do I take the sure-thing lesser discount or hold my breath and hope the local Barnes really will save me a 40% off copy until Sunday evening?

If they DON'T, and if they then tell me I'll have to pay full price for a copy out of the next batch in, it will get Very Interesting. Sharon is interning at a local TV station: one which has an "on your side" investigative reporter. If it's a slow enough week otherwise, he MIGHT be interested in this...

[ludzu-alus.livejournal.com]

If it's any consolation, it will go directly to bestseller and (as every B&N is the same), I can tell you that even if you don't get the 40%, it will definitely be 30% off. Still, cheaper than the 10-15% at the Con. I've heard conflicting reports about the discount - but at last comment, I heard that the 40% will be for that night and possibly the next two days (to allow anyone not able or wanting to show up for the party to get their books at the 40% off price). Don't take that as gospel, though. We all know how corporations are - changing their minds a dozen times and not telling the rest of us bookpeons what is really going down til a day after we needed to know. *grin*

[ludzu-alus.livejournal.com]

I work at my local B&N. I count myself as lucky since I don't have to work that night. :) I did the last one that came out - that whole midnight Potter Party. Woooo! It was a whirlwind of stuff and shouting and people and fun. I enjoyed being one of the first people to see the book at our store - I got to wield a boxcutter and was one of 8 opening boxes so we could sell them. This time around, I get to attend or not as I choose. I probably will show up.

[sylverwolfe.livejournal.com]

i, silly person that i am, agreed to WORK that friday night at my borders store to help out with the throng. we're a downtown store, so they're not banking on too many kids, but i reminded them that a lot of families do live downtown. so if i'm still socially acceptable by saturday it'll be a miracle, but i'm sure i'll have fun.

[bardicwench.livejournal.com]

I'll be at my local SchulerBooks at midnight to pick up my copy... I still have to go out an reserve one though. *grin* I keep forgetting... I'll call them tomorrow...

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Sabrina's attending a lock in at the Baldwin Public Library. Readings of the books, movies, games. The local Border's will be selling the book there at midnight so we'll just get a copy then.

I've never bothered reserving copies of the previous novels cause on release day I was able to walk into the book store and get a copy and get the discount price.

Now we have a problem. The last few books, I'd get our copy, devour them, hand them off to Diana, who would also then devour them.

But now Sabrina is old enough to really enjoy the stories, and while she can read them, her speed isn't great, so we've read them aloud. And she's now heard/read all five books.

Now, if we do our norm, I'd read, Diana'd read and now we'd have to then read it again to Sabrina. So as what I think will be a fun family activity we will all read/listen to them while taking turns reading aloud. Yes, its going to take us longer to get through it, but it will be fulfilling nonetheless.

My sister-in-law, who is an audio book fanatic says we should just get the audio book version and listen to it all together... but no, that just doesn't strike me as as much fun.

[cktraveler.livejournal.com]

O.O

Wow.

Someone's actually realized that you can go broke underestimating the American public ... it just takes a while.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I just want them to tone down the media hype as well as the merchandising hype. The whole "X days to go!" "Secret sources have these hints" and "Copies were stolen from..." and all the other crap.

It's not like the books need the hype to sell, so it always makes me crazy when they act like there are golden tickets in the things.

...okay, that, and the knowledge that I have to wait an extra week to get my copy from England...

[filkferengi]

The Atlanta Radio Theatre Company's doing readings at a local bookstore, which I'll have to miss, being in Pittsburgh at the time. I'll probably wind up blowing off Tamora Pierce [the official reason for going], to spend time with far too many filkers.

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be down at Comic Con in San Diego that weekend. Though I realized it was the same weekend after I'd already reserved a copy at one of the local independent bookstores. Alas, I shall thus have to wait to actually get it... probably until monday even. Unless I can arrange for my brother to go pick it up.

[faxpaladin.livejournal.com]

I'm in much the same boat as msminlr, even to the point of having my copy reserved at B&N and going to Conestoga.

The bit of merchandise that got me was the first-movie-connected Scabbers doll I saw in a B&N. Cute little thing - looked a bit like Ratbert. Had all his fingers, too...