It will be some time before the literary world knows another sensation like Harry Potter. And so, with the seventh and last book of the series - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - scheduled to be released on July 21, 2007 bookstores are going all out to woo buyers with discounts, freebies and even parties.

Going by the number of bookings for the hard-bound edition priced at Rs 975, (the most expensive in the series), it's already a sell-out.

Penguin India probably anticipated the huge interest that the book would generate because it will be importing 250,000 copies, far more than the 160,000 it ordered last time.

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"The demand this time is far higher and like in the case of the previous books, most of it is from readers in cities like Bangalore and Mumbai," said Thomas Abraham, CEO, Penguin India.

The Crossword Book Store chain, part of Shopper's Stop, is not retailing the book at a discount, but it has a sweetener - a voucher for Rs 200 and a free membership to the Crossword Club worth Rs 150.

"We have already got bookings for 6,000 copies, which is twice the number we did last time and we are hoping to sell at least 10,000," said Anian Nair, head, marketing and operations, Crossword.

Nair said Crossword had ordered 20,000 copies and planned to create a "Harry Potter ambience" at some of its bigger stores.

The Landmark chain, owned by retailer Trent, is planning parties at several of its stores across the country on the morning of July 21.

Landmark will give away Harry Potter calendars and UNO cards as freebies. "We are importing several mementos and we have also designed a bag and a special poster," said CEO Hemu Ramaiah.

Ramaiah added that the book would be available for a 25 per cent discount on the shop's website and the store would try to deliver the copy on the same day.