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Monday, June 18, marks the second anniversary of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Universal Studios is celebrating with the promise of treats and discounted tickets. Orlando Fun Tickets wrote:

Bringing to life the wonder, excitement and adventures of the Harry Potter books and films, this spectacular world has captivated people from across the globe, ushering in thousands of fans on a daily basis to experience all things Harry Potter. And this Monday, as the attraction celebrates its 2-year anniversary, guests can expect even more Harry Potter magic at the park.

And as if all of that wasn’t enough to make the Wizarding World of Harry Potter one of the best attractions ever, Universal Orlando recently confirmed a Harry Potter expansion is in the works, though details have not yet been revealed.

Stay tuned to Leaky for more of the celebration tomorrow!

The hard work Pottermore users have been putting into their potion making and dueling skills is finally going to be rewarded. The house points that have been accumulating are now being tallied toward the Pottermore House Cup! Pottermore Insider announced that the Pottermore House Cup will be awarded soon:

Bloomsbury wants to know: are you the biggest Harry Potter fan?

The British publisher of the Harry Potter series is hosting a competition to find the biggest fan in the U.K. and Ireland. Fans will only be able to enter the competition by submitting an entry though participating bookshops and libraries. More than 1,800 venues will be participating; a map and list of locations is provided on Bloomsbury's website.

Instructions to enter the competition are as follows:

The grand prize winner will receive a family holiday to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort and a leather-bound, signed, dedicated and numbered 15th Anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Fourteen runners-up will also be chosen, and they too will receive the aforementioned 15th anniversary edition of Philsopher's Stone.

The competition begins today and will run until July 31st. Good luck to all who enter!

Potted Potter, the off-Broadway Harry Potter parody show, has extended its run at the Little Shubert Theatre until September 2, 2012, according to Broadway.com.

The show opened on June 3 and was originally scheduled to finish on August 12. Tickets can be purchased at this link.

In Potted Potter, Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner perform a retelling of all seven Harry Potter books in only 70 minutes, switching in and out of costumes, playing multiple characters, performing songs and even playing a game of Quidditch, complete with help from the audience.

Word through our (Leaky-only) grapevine has it that LeakyCon is set to make an announcement in about an hour. Keep an eye out! We're (ahem) told it has to do with an already announced programming event. (No, J.K. Rowling isn't coming to the conference.)

Guesses? Thoughts? Ideas? Leave 'em here! This post will be updated at noon.

For February's contest, it's all about Arthur Weasley. Because he's such a great father and beloved character, we want to give him something special for his birthday. Since we know he loves all things muggle, namely rubber ducks, your task this month is to design a rubber duck especially for Arthur! You will not be judged on how well you can draw, but on your idea. Also, please include a little bit about your design and why you chose what you did.

Complete contest rules and details are available on this page. Deadline to enter is Feb. 29 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

The first place winner will receive a handcrafted wand (design changes each month) and a copy of the book The Practitioners Guide to Wand Magic by William C. Wilson, both donated by Wizard Wood Wands, as well as 200 MyLeaky points. Second, third, and honorable mention(s) will receive 150, 100, and 50 MyLeaky points respectively.

Good luck to all who enter!

On Saturday, Feb. 11, actor Daniel Radcliffe and director James Watkins will introduce their film, "The Woman in Black," to audiences at two special screenings in London.

For fans who missed out on seeing Radcliffe at the film's London premiere last month, this is another great opportunity. Radcliffe and Watkins will be present at the following screenings:

• 3 p.m - Empire Leicester Square
• 4:30 p.m. - Vue Westfield

Penny C. Sansevieri, who offers a free email newsletter for authors, had a great post for authors who use their Facebook pages - personal or fan - to connect with readers.

Some tidbits from her post:
- Photo posts get 50% more impressions than any other type of post
- Quotes get 22 percent more interactions
- Questions generate almost twice as many comments

There’s a lot more interesting information, including when the best time to make a post is, how often to post, etc. You can read Sansevieri’s post on Facebook here.

The challenge for Leaky's February contest was to design a rubber duck for Arthur Weasley. The winners have now been selected, and we're sure Mr. Weasley would have been overjoyed with all of your concepts!

First Place: perfectpasty - Flying Machine Duck

Second Place: ss19 - Multi-Function Duck

Third Place: Ducklover - Mr. Weasley Homage

Honorable Mention: Padfoot.13 - All About Arthur

Honorable Mention: Linn - Einstein Duck

Congratulations, everyone!

This weekend, Leaky was in attendance at one of the preview showings for Team StarKid's latest production "Holy Musical, B@man," and is now able to share this early--and spoiler free-- review of the musical.  The full performance will be online care of YouTube in April, following four more performances taking place next weekend.

Comic books.  Superheroes.  Music.  Dancing.   StarKids.  It's a combination that speaks to everything their fans love: fantasy characters, good stories, quality music and lyrics and fun.  And they know how to make that combination work.  Without giving anything away, the StarKid team continues to perform at their peak with each production they debut. With this new show, they bring us again the kind of entertaining and clever performances they've given in the "A Very Potter Musicals," "Starship," and "Me and My Dick."  Just as "Starship" was a fantastic mash-up of multiple classic sci-fi plots and characters from our collective cultural geek-ness, "Holy Musical, B@man" gives us the same with the superhero genre and involves several elements from comic/comic-to-film lore that both the casual and hardcore fan of such matters should appreciate.

The entire cast and crew gives it their all, and it shows.  While I won't say who's who, the entire cast is at their best and gets an opportunity for both their characters and voices to shine.  The show is paced well and builds to a great finale that captures the show's essence.  The sets and costumes, designed by Corey Lubowich and June Saito, respectively, are bright and work wonderfully with the theme of the show.  And the music and songs by Nick Gage and Scott Lamps are very well constructed and clever.  I wish I could say more about the details of the show and its plot, but I couldn't spoil something that's so worth the wait to see.

One of the most impressive things about Team StarKid’s evolution from show to show is just how much geekier they become.  Not geeky in a way that only speaks to the most hardcore fans of a particular genre, but geeky in a way that both shows and includes everyone in the things all people love about a character or series.  They are able to do this—again—with "Holy Musical, B@man" and do it well.  It's a great two hours of your day and may even make you feel as if you're a bit of a superhero too.

The show is written and directed by Matt and Nick Lang, music and lyrics by Nick Gage, with additional music by Scott Lamps. Choreography by Katie Spelman, set design by Corey Lubowich, costume design by June Saito, lighting design by Sarah Petty and sound design by Mark Swiderski.

Cast:

• Nico Ager
• Julia Albain
• Chris Allen
• Jaime Lyn Beatty
• Jeff Blim
• Denise Donovan
• Brian Holden
• Nick Lang
• Lauren Lopez
• Jim Povolo
• Dylan Saunders
• Meredith Stepien
• Nicholas Strauss

The official Pottermore shop was launched this morning, marking the first time that the Harry Potter books are available to buy in an eBook and digital audio book format.

This will be the only place to purchase digital copies of the Harry Potter series, which will be available in all formats for eReaders, tablets, smartphones and mp3 players.

The eBooks for Years 1-3 are available for $7.99, while Years 4-7 are priced at $9.99. Or, the complete series can be purchased for $57.54.

Digital audio books for Years 1-3 will cost $29.99, and Years 4-7 is priced at $44.99. The complete Harry Potter audio collection can be purchased for $ 242.94.

Even though the Pottermore shop is now open, Pottermore remains in beta. It's expected to open to everyone in April.

Leaky participated in a press tour of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter this morning and now has a special gallery of high res photos from the experience right here!  Stay close for Leaky's full report, set to be online soon.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour opens to the public on March 31st.  For tickets and more information, visit the official website here.

Sorry for the delay everyone, we were busy cleaning up the mess after Peeves had a bit too much fun with a paintball gun, but the April 1st edition of The Quibbler is now online for your reading pleasure featuring the delightful, dashing and daring Gilderoy Lockhart, here to share with us the "untold truth of that night at Hogwarts when I defeated the Dark Lord" as well as a harrowing yet ultimately inspiring tale of his struggle to write in cursive.

You can read The Quibbler in pdf format here or as a zip file at this link. Find The Quibbler's archives and guidelines on Quibbler submissions right here.

By Rob Eagar

If you want to build a following, especially online, the key is to position yourself as someone who is worth following. The best way to attract a large group is by becoming an object of interest, which means the ability to draw people to you by dent of your expertise or charismatic personality. 

For instance, celebrities in our society, such as actors, reality TV stars, musicians, athletes, bestselling authors, and politicians, are considered objects of interest, because people are fascinated by their glamorous lifestyle, eccentric behavior, or award-winning achievements. Likewise, intellectual experts, such as scientists, doctors, lawyers, ministers, reporters, and counselors, can also be objects of interest, because of their ability to help people discover new information or overcome personal challenges.

People won’t become your fan unless you give them a clear reason. I know this sounds obvious, but it’s that’s simple. If you’re engaging in social media and struggling to build a growing community, then people probably don’t regard you as interesting. You’re lost in the mix of more appealing authors who are getting attention. So, your goal should be to magnify the best parts of your book and your author expertise. Use your strengths to make people want to stay connected with you. For example, below is a list of ways to attract a following based on the genre of books that you write:

1. Non-fiction advice, how-to, textbooks: Deliver clear answers to common problems.
2. Biographies, reference: Provide insight into historical or current events.
3. Fiction, romance, chick-lit: Generate intense feelings of emotion or passion.
4. Gift books, children’s, religious: Serve as a constant source of encouragement.
5. Memoirs, comedy: Supply a unique sense of humor and wit.
6. Science fiction, young adult, crime: Create a feeling of fear, wonder, or suspense.
7. Business, political commentary: Express counter-intuitive opinions that challenge status quo.

This list is just a sample of the diverse ways that any fiction or non-fiction author could draw attention to their name and their books. I go into a lot more detail on this topic in my new book, Sell Your Book Like Wildfire. You might choose to rely on one approach build interest. Or, you could combine several styles to help capture an audience. The point is to establish yourself as someone who is interesting and genuinely worth following. You don’t have to change your personality. Rather, be yourself. But, give people a reason to like you, respect your skills, and want more of who you are.

About the Author

Rob Eagar is the founder of WildFire Marketing, a consulting practice that helps authors and publishers sell more books and spread their message like wildfire. He has assisted numerous New York Times bestselling authors and his new book, Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, will be published by Writer’s Digest in June, 2012. Find out more about Rob’s advice, products, and coaching services for authors at: www.startawildfire.com

Sinclair Lewis received this letter from a lawyer in a Midwestern city:

Dear Lewis:
Have read a few of your works and would like to ask a few favors. Please send me a list of your stories, your autograph, picture, and a letter describing your life. How many children have you and their names.

Thanking you, I am
Yours very truly,
J.J. Jones, Esq.
He responded:

My Dear Jim:
There was only one thing about your nice letter that I didn’t like. It was so sort of formal. True, we have never met, and somehow I feel we aren’t likely to, but, isn’t this a democratic country? So let me call you Jim, and you call me Fatty, or any other friendly name.
Now Jim, I haven’t got a photograph of me here, but I’ll go right down to the junction and have one taken. I’m preparing a letter about my life, but it’s been a pretty long one and a bad one, and that will take me several weeks.

But in the meantime, Jim, I’m awfully interested in lawyers. Kindly send me your picture, picture of your home and office, a list of your assets and liabilities, average income per month, list of the books you have read since 1914, if any. Kindly inform me whether you have ever defended a bootlegger and why. Should be glad to have any other interesting personal information for use in a story. How do you get along with your wife? Kindly explain this in detail.

Thanking you in advance, I remain,
Yours affectionately,
Sinclair Lewis

I love this, but part of me wonders if it’s true... every mention I find of it on the web contains the same information about the sender.

The winners for Leaky's March contest have been announced. The challenge was to write the history of a special friendship and envision how one dynamic duo of witch/wizard and their creature companion met.

Congratulations to the following winners:

First place: Neville/Trevor by zonkoltd
Second place: Percy/Scabbers by HawthornTonks
Third place: Hagrid/Fang by Laine Slater

As a reminder, there are still a few days left to enter April's Fred and George Family Prank contest!

Nearly two years after the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the theme park is still magically raising Universal profits. Orlando reports that the theme park ticket and souvenir sales have contributed to a 17.1% growth rate. The Wizarding World has helped Universal's revenue gain 5.7% in the past three months! The article goes on to say:

After seven months of performances, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was handed it's final notice. The show opened in December 2010 with Daniel Radcliffe as the lead. Radcliffe's role packed the theater, and quickly recuperated the $9 million that was initially invested in the musical. Nick Jonas took over Radcliffe's role after Darren Criss, and the cast was unable to continue to bring in expected profits. CBS reports:

When it closes, the revival will have played just over 500 performances since it opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in February 2011. It quickly recouped its $9 million initial investment that December, thanks to its then-star Daniel Radcliffe.

Jonas, best known as part of the Jonas Brothers boy band, took over the lead this January and had committed to staying until at least July 1, but ticket sales took a noticeable hit. Last week, the box office took in just $368,000 out of a potential gross of $1,394,000.