Griffin Press won the contract to print the latest Harry Potter book, with the deal kept under wraps until it was released in Australia on Sunday morning. 

The initial print run of the 320 page hardback book is not yet known, however the biggest seller in Australia in the Harry Potter seven book series was the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which was printed by Griffin Press and McPherson’s (now part of Opus), with an initial print run of 750,000, the final numbers topping one million copies.

Griffin is about to have a public launch of its new HP digital web presses, Griffin general manager Ben Jolly declined to provide any comment on the Harry Potter books including what they were printed on due to a confidentiality agreement with the publisher.

Australian Printer has tried to speak with publisher Hachette Australia but did not receive a response by deadline. Hachette has previously said it will not be commenting until publication

American publisher Scholastic is printing an initial 4.5 million copies of the latest book.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was released here at 9:01am on Sunday (12:01am London time) with scores of people lining up to grab a copy and bookstores selling out.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not actually a novel, but a play, set 19 years after the seventh book in the series, which author JK Rowling said would be the last. Rowling is not the sole author of the new book, there are three writers credited, of which she is one.

Created by the formerly destitute Rowling, the Harry Potter series spans seven novels, and has sold more than 450 million copies around the world. It was also turned into an eight-part film series, which grossed more than $8bn. Rowling is now one of the world’s richest women.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter