With huge amounts of advertising undertaken by stores, lavish midnight events planned this Saturday to coincide with the book's release and fierce competition as to who can sell the book at the lowest price, booksellers everywhere have resigned themselves to making a loss.

"It certainly is unusual that practically no bookshops will make any money on Harry Potter, even though it is such a major event, " said John Butler of the Irish Booksellers' Association.

"And it's harder on small bookshops, because with supermarkets and big chains selling the book for half price or even less, it's impossible to compete. Big stores can afford to make a loss on this one book, but no independent bookseller can afford that."

The recommended retail price of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is 26.85, but many stores will be selling it for 14.99 or even less. This is especially hard on smaller bookshops because Bloomsbury publishers give the same rates to everyone, said Siobhan O'Flynn from The Book Centre in Kilkenny.

"It's tough and it will be very competitive, but at the end of the day, we have a loyal customer base and we hold a special event that everyone gets really involved in, " she said.

That's the spirit of booksellers everywhere: this is the biggest event in the publishing calendar to date, and they're determined to make the most of it.

"Quite simply, it's Harry Potter, " said David O'Callaghan children's bookbuyer for Easons, which so far has 88,000 of its 110,000 copies reserved by customers. "This is the biggest order we have ever had and it's hard to see something like this again in my lifetime.

Nothing has ever created this kind of buzz and it's impossible to imagine a series of this appeal happening again soon."

The biggest question on Harry Potter fans' lips is how the series is going to end. Author JK Rowling has said herself that a major character dies, and everyone wants to know: is it going to be Harry?

"If she really wanted to never go back to Harry Potter, then the only way to do that is kill him off, " said O'Callaghan. "If he lives, the path is always open for her to go back."

Bookstores have had to be incredibly aware of customers' sensitivities in the planning of their launches. Easons' Hagrid actor booked his holidays at an inopportune time and they are scrambling to find a replacement lest young readers think he has been killed off in The Deathly Hallows.

"Once you get your book, it's time to go home, lock the doors, turn off the TV and don't answer the phone until you've finished, " said O'Callaghan. "Because by Monday, the media will have let everyone know who's dead."

Now that Harry's over, what next for young readers?

HARRY Potter opened the floodgates for young readers everywhere . . . encouraging children who had little interest in reading to discover a whole new world of witches, wizards and quidditch. But now that Harry Potter has reached an end (and JK Rowling has assured us that there will be no number eight) what happens next for young readers? Some of these authors may help fill the void:

Anthony Horowitz . . . English author of the immensely popular Alex Rider series.

These spy novels, which have already been adapted for the big screen, follow 14-year-old spy Alex Rider on his adventures. Pure James Bond for the next generation.

Philip Pullman . . . His Northern Lights series has delighted children all over the world. The first adaptation is coming to the big screen later this year.

Eoin Colfer . . . Irish author of the popular Artemis Fowl series, these books are funny and satisfying for children and adults alike.

John Boyne . . . His awardwinning novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, was a huge hit with children and adults around the world.

Harry Potter has already helped a new generation of children discover Roald Dahl and CS Lewis, and booksellers are confident that this will continue after the series ends.