Amazon’s Harry Potter pre-orders are no fantasy

Pre-orders by U.S. consumers at Amazon.com for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in the hugely popular series, have reached 1 million copies. Worldwide, pre-orders have reached 1.6 million, eclipsing the 1.5 million pre-orders for the sixth book, with three weeks left before publication. Scholastic is planning a first run of 12 million books.

Amazon says that all orders received by midnight July 17 will be guaranteed for delivery on July 21 with standard shipping.

As if the hype around the book weren’t enough, Amazon has started a campaign to encourage customers to pre-order the book: All those who order the book ahead of time will receive a $5 Amazon discount certificate good toward purchases in August.