Amazon.co.uk is already starting its campaign to become the main source of pre-orders for the new Harry Potter book due to be launched next year.

Not 24 hours after the announcement that the latest instalment of the Harry Potter series will be hitting the shelves in July next year, the book has already reached the number one spot on Amazon.co.uk's hot 100 sales list.

The book which isn't available until 16th July 2005 has already leapfrogged Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code.

The last JK Rowling book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, took a record 420,000 pre-orders.

The novel takes up the story of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when the young hero finds himself pitted against his evil nemesis Lord Voldemort.

JK Rowling was due to announce the publication date of her new book on her website on Christmas day, but decided to bring it forward by a couple of days.

It is also said that clues to the storyline of the book can be found buried deep within the website. So far the website has had over 27 million visitors.

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