Where were you on 21 June 2003? If you were of my daughter's generation, the answer would be obvious.
That was the initial day some 5,000,000 copies of the book 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' were sold. The book would go on to sell some 200,000,000 copies.
I've lived a pretty long time, I had never seen anything like Potter Mania.
Yes, I was there in 1977 when the first Star Wars movie hit the scene, queuing up outside the Cinema Capri theatre in Phoenix Arizona with thousands of others to see the movie on day one.
JK Rowling used a three year gap between the 4th and 5th books in the Potter saga to build up a crescendo of anticipation unprecedented in the publishing industry. Helping to build on this demand were the Potter Movie versions already in production. By 2003, two of the books were already adapted for the silver screen. The 2 movie adaptions and three year gap created a perfect storm of demand for publication of the Order of the Phoenix.
I was there in the Barnes and Nobles on Val Vista drive on 21 June 2003, along with my daughter and thousands of other Potterphiles. My daughter had preordered the book , so she had been guaranteed a copy. Barnes and Nobles kept the doors open after midnight to allow the copies to be picked up as early as possible to satisfy the insatiable hoards. We had to go into B and N early in the day to secure a queue number for book pickup.
Many of the Potterphiles lined up that night wore various Potter related costumes including wizard cloaks and wands. B and N had also given away posters and other memorable event goodies, but my daughter was uninterested...she wanted the book and nothing else would substitute. No costume, no incentives, no fluff...just get her the book if you please.
Finally, about an hour after midnight, she had her copy in hand. She was happy, she was obsessed. She had the packing off and the pages turning on the ride home. By 4:00 AM I had to force her to take a break from reading and go to bed. Reluctantly she agreed, exhausted she was soon unconscious. And luckily so, because then I was able to secure her copy and read several chapters myself before she woke.
Yes, I too was hooked. I had told myself that I just wanted to be part of my daughters life, but honestly...I loved the books too.
There are many things I could say about JK Rowling, and this amazing and unprecedented time in the publishing industry. One thing sticks out most. The book was 870 pages in length, some 255,000 words. Ms. Rowling was able to turn on millions of youth the world over to my most favorite of all things, the written literary world. She challenged these youth to really read, really sink their teeth into a substantial novel. For that, Ms. Rowling...Kotkas salutes you!
Cheers, nca
