FedEx, Amazon Offer ‘Harry Potter’ Deal

Harry Potter fever has infected FedEx and Amazon.com.

In response to record-breaking advance orders for the fourth book in author J.K. Rowling’s series, the online bookseller and overnight delivery service have teamed up to get the novel into customers’ hands on July 8, the first day it goes on sale.

The overnight-shipping deal, which is being offered to the first 250,000 customers who order through Amazon.com, will provide July 8 delivery at no extra charge (customers must still pay the normal handling fee of $4.29 per book). The program is being touted as “the largest distribution event of any single item in e-commerce history.”

Already, Amazon has logged more than 184,000 advance orders for the 752-page novel, making it the largest pre-sale book in company history. The heavy demand has also catapulted Harry Potter IV into Amazon’s No. 1 sales slot for 15 of the past 20 weeks.

FedEx said it would mobilize more than 9,000 trucks nationwide for the Saturday home delivery of the books, according to a press release.

The offer is available only in the continental U.S.

Anticipation for the latest sequel has been building for months, fueled in part by the secrecy surrounding the project. The title, plot and cover design are all under wraps.

Numerous stores plan to open at 12:01 a.m. July 8 so anxious customers can buy the book the first moment it’s allowed to be sold.