Scholastic, the American publisher of the Harry Potter series, has announced that it will print a record-breaking 12 million copies for the first edition of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'.
This, the seventh and final book in the popular series by Scottish author JK Rowling, will be released on 12 July.
Scholastic also plans a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign in the run up to the book's release.
The previous book, 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,' was released in 2005 with a first printing of 10.8 million copies and sales of 6.9 million in the first 24 hours.
In the UK, it was the fastest-selling book of all time, according to the publisher, with more than two million copies sold on the first day of release.
The series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide and four feature films based on the books have been made.
A fifth film, based on book number five, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', will be released a week before the new book is published.
