Huge print run for new ‘Potter’

The record price and epic length of the new “Harry Potter” novel hasn’t stopped the publisher from expecting extraordinary sales: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” hitting bookstores June 21, has a first printing of 6.8 million.

J.K. Rowling’s previous Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” came out in July 2000 with a first printing of 3.8 million. It sold out within 48 hours and now has more than 16 million copies in print.

Expected sales for “Order of the Phoenix,” which for weeks has topped the bestseller lists of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, overwhelm even the most popular novels. Michael Crichton’s “Prey,” released last fall, had a first printing of 1.5 million. Last year’s publishing sensation, Alice Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones,” has just under 2.4 million copies in print.