Though PW’s Claire Kirch tries and tries to find a loophole that would enable someone from the printer responsible for preparing the 12 million-copy first printing of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, but doesn’t get very far. At first, Scholastic wouldn’t even divulge where the books are being produced, buy two reliable sources in Crawfordsville, Ind., a rural community of 15,243 residents 50 miles west of Indianapolis, told Kirch that the book is being manufactured at the R.R. Donnelley plant. “HP books are being printed right here in itty-bitty Crawfordsville,” a local resident, who requested anonymity, reported. “We’ve been hearing midnight trains on that seldom-used track to Donnelley’s for weeks now. That’s really the giveaway: middle-of-the-night freight trains on a track that rarely gets used. This is just like last time.” Last time, of course, being 2005, when HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE was published.
But when Kirch called the Crawfordsville production plant to inquire what security measures, besides lunch box searches and cellphone bans, are being taken to safeguard what’s being termed, tongue-in-cheek-style, as the “MLK project”, a Donnelley security representative responded, “I can’t discuss that,” and hung up. A corporate spokesperson for Donnelly wouldn’t comment. And then Kirch went back to Scholastic’s spokesperson, Kyle Good – who after first wondering how Kirch got Donnelley’s name, then hearing about the frustration in getting some sort of comment, “wished this correspondent a happy Fourth of July.” Nice…