PermaNews Archive: Leaky, Inc.'s "Get A Clue" Fundraiser

On November 20, 2002 Sotheby's of London announced it would be auctioning off literary-related items donated by their authors, with proceeds to benefit Book Aid International. One item was a handwritten set of 93 "hint" words from J.K. Rowling about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the highly anticipated fifth book in her wildly popular series. The opening bid was set at $9,400 USD, or just over $100 per word, with the auction to take place on December 12.

Just days after the announcement, a plan was concocted by editors of the popular news site The Leaky Cauldron that would allow fans around the world to pool their smaller funds into one lump sum, in order to secure a bid for the item and reveal its contents to everyone. Melissa Anelli, B.K. DeLong and Heidi Tandy formed Leaky, Inc., a non-profit New York corporation.

With the legalities taken care of, solicitation for donations began on December 3, and a flurry of dollars, pounds and euros found their way to Leaky's inbox. International press followed, with coverage in the New York Times, CNN, BBC, Ananova, and finally the Associated Press, which distributes stories to local media around the world.

Meanwhile, Leaky, Inc. decided not to divulge the amount of money it received, reasoning that it might allow "some rich Muggle" to keep tabs on the total and simply bid right over the fans. Donations continued pouring in until December 11 at 12:00 p.m. EST. The fateful day had arrived.

"The atmosphere in the auction was electric," said a Sotheby's representative. "There's no other way to describe it." With Anelli on the phone from New York, carrying the hopes of Harry Potter fans worldwide, the auction began and then quickly ended. "We had £15,000 but the bidding shot past us in under a minute," Anelli told CNN after the auction. "It was wild."

WE LOST - BUT WE DIDN'T, read the next headline posted on The Leaky Cauldron. Instead of Book Aid International receiving just the winning bid's proceeds, they were also given the $24,000 raised by Harry Potter fans for the auction. "Needless to say we are hugely grateful to each and every one of the donors who gave in response to the appeal from the Leaky Cauldron," said Book Aid director Sara Harrity. "You can be sure that every dollar donated will make a difference."

What transpired over these three weeks was truly an historic event, and HPANA is proud to have witnessed it, and present it for you here.

Auction info!
Phew! Our donor lists are complete. If there's a mistake, please contact us and we will fix it. ALSO - Book Aid International has published a special report on where all £14,202.93 of Leaky's readers' contributions went, so be sure to head over there and check it out! Thank you all, again, because I haven't said it in a while, and thank you Book Aid! (And stay tuned, because B.K. and I will be meeting the lovely folk from Book Aid this week, and will bring you pictures as soon as we can!)Still[...]
March 19, 2003 at 2:53 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (3)

Random factoids from March South Florida Parenting
Percent of children who say the best book series is Harry Potter: 58 Percent who say it's Lord of the Rings: 29 Amount an unidentified American paid at a charity auction for 93 words handwritten by author J.K. Rowling that hint at the plot of her fifth Harry Potter book: $45,314 Number of books that donation will buy for schools in Afrida: 18,000 Number of letters said magazine will get letting them know that one of their readers was involved in excellent fundraiser related to card: at least one
March 3, 2003 at 7:40 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (7)

Opinari Speaks To Melissa Anelli!
Just last night, I pulled myself together for the second Opinari update of the year, in which I had a special interview with Melissa, Leaky's managing editor. Read it only at Opinari!
February 9, 2003 at 5:55 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (3)

Auction mention in YM
Thanks Milly, for pointing us to this article in YM.com, about the auction. Quotage:Harry Potter Update: A few weeks ago, we told you about "The Card" an index card containing 14 words hinting at the plot of the new Harry Potter novel. The Card was being auctioned for charity, and one fan Web site, www.leaky-cauldron.org, was hoping to bid successfully so they could show its contents online. Sadly, they didn't make the winning bid, and The Card went to a private bidder. The $23,000 in proceeds[...]
January 20, 2003 at 10:51 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (2)

TLC mentioned again in the Daily Telegraph
In yet another book release article, the Daily Telegraph mentions TLC's charity bid. "Last year," the article reads, "a card on which Rowling had written 93 words providing an outline of the plot of the long-awaited fifth book fetched £28,680 at auction. The words, such as: "Ron, broom, sacked, house-elf, new, teacher, dies, sorry", caused such a frenzy that a website, The Leaky Cauldron, appealed for donations to bid for it. It raised £15,000, but was outbid." Thanks to Harry's Scrapbook for[...]
January 16, 2003 at 9:11 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (5)

Auction Money from TLC Readers to Buy Over 11,000 Books!
Hi all - we've just received word from Book Aid International - fantastic word - that the $23,000 donation you all made happen is going to provide 11,000 books for readers in the developing world. Please take this moment to pat yourselves heartily on the back. We have authorized the use of the money for readers in Kenya and Eritrea - Book Aid will be putting more information on their site shortly (so will we - like a full donor list, I promise) but here is information about the areas to which[...]
January 13, 2003 at 11:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (3)

"The Underdog"
TLC managing editor Melissa spoke to Sidekicksociety.com about the auction effort to win the 93-word card. Quotage: SKS: As in life, there are not always clear victories - but what do you hope the fans and your site will gain from this experience? LC: I think the fans and our readers (whose ages range from toddler to grandmother) will learn that one dollar really does make a difference, and that when people band together to do something they believe in, the results are often staggering. This[...]
January 8, 2003 at 3:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (4)

NPR archive link and auction radio interview
If you missed the NPR segment about fanfiction, you can catch it here - it includes our editor Megan calling herself a dork (which in this edtior's opinion makes it not-to-be-missed. :) Seriously, it describes the world of fanfiction really well - here's Megan's quotage about what inspires people to write HP-verse fanfic:[J.K. Rowling] herself has said that she has boxes and notebooks and folders filled with information that we'll never see in the books. That just strikes everybody's imagination[...]
December 30, 2002 at 11:01 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (2)

If you got the 93-word card for Christmas
If you got the 93-word card for Christmas, please, share it with us, and we'll share it with the fandom!
December 26, 2002 at 7:31 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (3)

Want to see something incredible?
Go here. More details soon.
December 20, 2002 at 8:31 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (3)

All Clear!
Well, not all, but enough of our deposits have cleared that we are set to make our donation to Book Aid International. Right now approximately $24,100 is in our bank account. Of that, roughly $410 was cost - $300 of that will be reimbursed, the other $110 is a personal donation and remains in our total. To make it even, we're leaving $800 in the account for other costs (keeping the bank account open, wiring fees, etc) as well as money for potential accountant/lawyer fees, since we are going to[...]
December 20, 2002 at 11:31 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (3)

Auction Video
Thanks Karen for pointing out the BBC's video of the Sotheby's auction. There's not much more there than you would expect, but I certainly got a thrill watching it - as it brought back quite clearly my experience on the phone, as I sat in stunned silence once the bidding had gone over our limit. And I have to wonder if the people there who knew about our cause heard that the high bidder was on the phone and thought it was us. (On a side note - we'll have an update on our donation progress soon.)
December 17, 2002 at 4:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (3)

YM spotlights the TLC auction bid
Still more articles about the auction, including this one at YM's website. They were kind enough to link to this site, and we appreciate them for that. Also, thanks to everyone who's sent in the MSNBC article - we were highlighted on their front page! However, as the article is the same AP one that we've linked to before, we're going to put a screencap to show the link up instead, later today.
December 15, 2002 at 7:01 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

U.S. News article
This was the very first interview I did after the auction, and you can probably tell from the quotes how wound up I still was - but I still think this is a great piece and thank the writer, Vicky Hallett, and the editor (and ubercool person) Holly Morris for doing it. I can't tell you all how bizarre it was to be on the other side of an interview for once (or four, or five, or forty-five times...). It should also be noted that we don't think of the buyer as a Voldy-type - at least, muah ha ha,[...]
December 15, 2002 at 2:31 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

The Wait For The Mystery Collector Continues
From The State: LONDON - An American collector has paid more than $45,000 for a card full of clues to the plot of the long-awaited fifth Harry Potter book. The unidentified buyer made the winning bid Thursday for the card, handwritten by author J.K. Rowling as a charity fund-raiser. The money will be used to buy more than 18,000 books for schools in Africa. Whether the buyer, who paid $45,314 for the card, chooses to keep the contents secret remains to be seen. ..."It's a wonderful Christmas[...]
December 14, 2002 at 10:43 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (1)

Harry Potter goes for $954 a magic word
A private United States buyer coughed up US$485 ($954) a word yesterday for a 93-word synopsis of the yet-to-be-completed fifth book about wizard boy wonder Harry Potter. "It was sold to a telephone bidder from America for £28,680 [$90,990]," said a spokesman for Sotheby's auction house. The price for the collection of random words giving a tantalising glimpse into the plot of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix was nearly five times the pre-sale estimate of up to £6000. J.K. Rowling[...]
December 13, 2002 at 8:01 PM; DarkMark - Comments (1)

More articles about the auction
Em sent us one from The Scotsman, Rob sent us the one in This Is Bristol, and The Guardian's article us up as well. One of our readers sent us an article from Hungary. A rough translation, in part, below:The Harry Potter Website maneuvered by Leaky Incorporation (New York) wanted to buy the card as well, but they can not gave the winning bid; - nevertheless in case of their winning they (according to their statement) would have posted the 93 words on their Web site to make them seeable for[...]
December 13, 2002 at 1:31 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

A Message from Book Aid International
"A card with 93 words written by JK Rowling about the next Harry Potter book was auctioned yesterday and the proceeds are being donated to Book Aid International. It's a truly amazing result for us and will allow us to provide 18,500 books for schools in Eritrea and other African countries!! ... We're also going to receive around £15,000 because of the amazing generosity of Harry Potter fans around the world who put together a group bid via the US based Leaky Cauldron website. They wanted to buy[...]
December 13, 2002 at 12:31 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Peek at next Harry Potter plot fetches GBP28,680
A "TEASER card" holding clues to the plot of the next Harry Potter novel was sold yesterday for £28,680, almost six times its £5,000 reserve price. It was bought by a private American collector. An internet group which organised a worldwide whip-round to try to secure the sneak peek of the plot was hopelessly outbid when it offered little more than £15,000. The organiser of the internet bid, Melissa Anelli, managing editor of fan site www.the-leaky-cauldronorg, had promised to put the words on[...]
December 13, 2002 at 5:31 AM; icWales

Charity sale gives clue to new Harry Potter book
Book Aid International director Sara Harrity said: "It's a wonderful Christmas present for readers in some of the world's poorest countries. The auction proceeds will allow us to provide around 5000 books for children and adults around the world."
December 13, 2002 at 12:01 AM; Edinburgh Evening News

Bidding frenzy for Potter clue
Melissa Anelli, the managing editor of the fan site -- www.the-leaky-cauldron.org -- had promised to put the words on the Web if the cyber bid was successful. Anelli told the Press Association: "Millions of fans have waited for two-and-a-half years for the next book. We can only hope that the person who got it shares it. "We had £15,000 but the bidding shot past us in under a minute. It was wild."
December 12, 2002 at 8:31 PM; CNN

Clues to fifth Harry Potter book fetch $45,000 for charity
The unidentified buyer made the winning bid Thursday for the card, handwritten by author J.K. Rowling as a charity fund-raiser. The money will be used to buy more than 18,000 books for schools in Africa. Whether the buyer, who paid $45,314 for the card, chooses to keep the contents secret remains to be seen.
December 12, 2002 at 6:31 PM; USA Today

Thank You, Leaky
As you already know, TLC didn't win the bid for today's earlier Book 5 preview auction. Fortunately, it wasn't a total loss, and I can't thank Leaky nearly enough, just by myself, for how appreciative I am of their efforts. So, if you would, please check out this forum thread and post a "thank you" message for them to see. At least, we were close...;)
December 12, 2002 at 5:03 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (1)

Collector buys clues to book five for $45K
The unidentified American collector paid £28,680, that is US$45,314, for the card, handwritten by author J.K. Rowling as a charity fund-raiser. The money will be used by Book Aid to buy more than 18,500 books for schools in Africa. Whether the buyer chooses to keep the contents secret remains to be seen.
December 12, 2002 at 5:01 PM; The Hogwarts Wire

US Buyer Pays $485 a Word for Potter Plot
A private U.S. buyer coughed up $485 a word on Thursday for a 93-word synopsis of the yet to be completed fifth book about wizard boy wonder Harry Potter. "It was sold to a telephone bidder from America for 28,680 pounds ($45,180)," a spokesman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters.
December 12, 2002 at 4:01 PM; Reuters

CNN article
(Yeah, I said I was going asleep. But there's news, and I can't stay away.) Go here for CNN article on the auction. The funny thing is - I sort of remember talking to someone after the auction - and sort of remember saying those things, and am sure I did actually say those things - but it's such a blur! (Edited to add - I remember now. Vanessa from the Press Association - thanks for all your help. I'm sorry I don't have your number or last name - please drop us an email so we can thank you[...]
December 12, 2002 at 4:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

We're goggled by google!
Google lists our fundraiser as the top entertainment story of the moment. If it's not listed there anymore, you can see it here.
December 12, 2002 at 4:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Auction page updated
Hey guys - our personal thank-you to you all is now on our auction page.Press releases, ways to continue contributing and a link to the old page can all be found there. Personally, I want to say thank you to the thousands of you who kept our energy up during this effort. Right now, however, I'm going to get about three weeks' worth of sleep. Goodnight!
December 12, 2002 at 4:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

AP Article on auction
The Associated Press article about today's auction is now up.
December 12, 2002 at 3:31 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

BBC reports on the auction as well
BBC Worldwide also has an article about the auction - they explain the numbers a bit (and thanks to Simon for letting us know!)
December 12, 2002 at 1:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Potter 5 clues sell for £28,680
Mystery buyer gets piece of Potter history
December 12, 2002 at 1:01 PM; CBBC Newsround

We lost - but we DIDN'T.
We're sorry guys. You all raised almost $24,000 for charity. We didn't even have a chance to bid; someone bought the card for nearly $38,000 (28,680 pounds was the final bid). That's almost $47,000 with the added taxes. We can't believe it was that much either. But hey - you guys are giving TWENTY FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS to charity.With that winning bid, Book Aid is getting somewhere in the neighborhood of $62,000. Sure, it would have felt better to have gotten the card - but look what you did.[...]
December 12, 2002 at 12:31 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

What will happen at the auction? Here's what we know.
It's getting exciting, isn't it? Here's what we know: when the day's auctions get to a few lots before ours (#517), someone from Sotheby's will call me. (The expected time of this phone call is between 12 and 1pm EST, or 5 and 6 pm GMT. The 2:30 time is when the set of lots they're auctioning go on sale; they're starting in the 300s, we are lot #517.) When the auctioneer gets to our lot, he will first sweep those present for bids, and then go to phone/absentee bids. I'll be asked if I want to go[...]
December 12, 2002 at 1:31 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Donor names from December 7
They're up! Check 'em out, and here's hoping no errors - though I think we know better. As a reminder, we also have lists from: December 6 December 5 December 4 December 3
December 11, 2002 at 6:31 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

BBC mp3
B.K. has made us a handy mp3 of the BBC interview, in case you missed it. All jokes to a minimum, please. :-) Info about the auction soon.
December 11, 2002 at 1:01 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

You want a battle cry?
You got one. Our editor Heidi Tandy has officially lost it, but she lost it with such flair that we're willing to pay for her mental bills. She has composed a TLC battle cry to be sung to the tune of "One Day More" from the hit musical Les Miserables. Don't ask - we don't know either. But it's funny as all heck.
December 11, 2002 at 12:31 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

More from the BBC
The BBC is also running an article today (thanks, Simon for the link) - and stay tuned to this website for more info about other radio appearances the TLC Team will be making today.
December 11, 2002 at 10:30 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Spin 1038
Hi guys - tune in to Spin 1038, the Irish radio station, at about 10:25 EST - I'll be on it!
December 11, 2002 at 10:30 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Listen to Last Night's Leaky Interview
Leaky posted an Mp3 of their BBC interview last night. Click here or check out their website to listen. The quality is a little jerky, but you can hear everything. Sadly, as far as I am aware, their donation drive has ended. Now, for those of us who pray, let's put in Leaky for success at the auction. There has to be a patron saint of charity.....who it is just slips my mind. A note on the Mp3, the running time is 5:26 so it may take awhile for those of you with dial-up.
December 11, 2002 at 4:57 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments

Potter fans bid for clues to next adventure
December 10, 2002 at 9:01 PM; Ananova

Deadline extended
Donations to The Leaky Cauldron for the book 5 clue card being auctioned at Sotheby's must be received by Wednesday, December 11th and 12PM EST.
December 10, 2002 at 8:31 PM; MuggleNet - Comments (1)

The Hours Tick, Tick, Tick Away
Yep, the final day of fundraising for the Book 5 preview card auction is coming up in a few hours and as all the Harry Potter fans await the final word on who'll win, there's still time to donate. Melissa from Leaky sent this in: Hey Jasen - quick note - all the money we get IN TIME will go to the bid, not just the moolah from paypal. But paypal is now the quickest, so we recommend that if people still want to get donations in.
December 10, 2002 at 5:40 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (1)

Melissa Anelli on BBC
She came on a bit later than was planned, but a strike ended in Britain, and she got bumped back a bit. The interview was conducted by a man who was a fan of the books, and asked intelligent well founded questions, to which Melissa made very good answers. There wasn't anything new revealed, but she did clear up some things which the mass media CONSTANTLY gets wrong (the release of book 5, what the words are actually from, etc). Hopefully a whole bunch of people heard it or will hear about it and[...]
December 10, 2002 at 2:48 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (1)

Leaky on Brit Radio
From Leaky: Yo - English people - are you still awake? I may - may - be on your radio at roughly 3am your time. I just spoke with someone and we have a time tentatively scheduled, if they can fit it in. I'm going to see if we can pick it up on the web, but if anyone wants to tape... hehehehe. As many of you pointed out, I failed to mention WHICH BBC Radio I might be on. It looks like R5L means "Radio Five Live," so yes, that one. :0) It looks like it'll be at 10:15ish EST, which means 3:15am[...]
December 10, 2002 at 1:31 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (1)

Leaky's Auction Drive Ends
Leaky's fund-raising effort for the Book 5 card officially ended 20 min. ago. Any donations recieved will go straight to charity, but unfortunately not to the auction. I thank you on behalf of iHP for donating, and spreading the word. It truely has been remarkable to see all the effort going to make sure the attempt was a success.
December 10, 2002 at 9:17 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (1)

Leaky Donation Time EXTENDED!!
Here's the latest from Leaky!! WE'VE EXTENDED DONATION TIME!!! Donations must be received before Wednesday, 12pm EST (9am PST)!Did you donate yet? We've raised a lot - A LOT - of money for charity, but we're not quite done. Money received after the deadline WILL still go to BookAid, but if you want it to go toward the bid, GET CLICKING - click above or HERE to read up, to donate, to get the word out. Check back here for more updates soon!
December 10, 2002 at 9:17 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (1)

MORE TIME!!!!
Due to some last-minute requests and inquiries from the media we're squeezing in a bit more time in order to collect donations. If you've already donated, send this URL to 5 fans who still have yet to donate: http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/auction.html. The Countdown begins!
December 10, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

BBC Radio?
Yo - English people - are you still awake? I may - may - be on your radio at roughly 3am your time. I just spoke with someone and we have a time tentatively scheduled, if they can fit it in. I'm going to see if we can pick it up on the web, but if anyone wants to tape... hehehehe. BBC is overwhelmed with war-related stories right now, so this is in no way meant to be persuasive to go through with the interview - it's just a heads-up to you British night-owls, in case you want to hear the story[...]
December 10, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Donor lists, updates!
Hello! We are in the home stretch, guys. Coming soon - pictures of all your mail, text from some of the WONDERFUL letters you've sent. For now, here are some donor lists, from: December 4 December 5 December 6 And don't forget we still have December 3 up for display. I wish - I really, do - we could just come out with the number, tell you how much we've raised. But I think you'd rather we don't cost us the auction, right? So - here's some more info to keep you updated. I spoke with Sotheby's[...]
December 10, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Radio, yet again -
It happened, it aired, I hope you caught it! We've got one somewhat incomplete audio file (but thank you Joe for sending it!!) - if anyone has it and wants to send it along, you get much appreciation. I hope we have some new viewers now because of the piece - if so, hi, welcome, pull up a chair and have yourself a butterbeer. And donate while you're at it. :-)
December 10, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

TLC on Ananova
Check it out here. We greatly appreciate the coverage!
December 10, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Auction deadline approaching
Donations to The Leaky Cauldron for the book 5 clue card being auctioned at Sotheby's must be received by 5PM EST Tuesday, December 10th! If you are going to donate you must do it now. This is our final push.
December 9, 2002 at 7:01 PM; MuggleNet - Comments (1)

LAST CALL FOR DONATIONS
As Leaky points out, we now have LESS than 24 hours to make our donations. If you've donated once and don't think Leaky has quite enough, donate again! Click the links below or the banner above to make your donation using PayPal. ONLY PayPal donations will go towards the auction. All others will go directly to the charity. 24 HOURS LEFT!!! Donations must be received before Tuesday, 5pm EST! Did you donate yet? We've raised a lot - A LOT - of money for charity, but we're not quite done. Money[...]
December 9, 2002 at 10:05 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (3)

PEOPLE Harry Potter site enlists fans help
A Harry Potter Web site is hoping fans will dig deep in their pockets for clues to the plot of the next installment in the series about the teenage wizard. The Leaky Cauldron hopes to raise enough money to make the winning bid at an auction in London next week for a handwritten note that outlines the fifth Harry Potter book's plot.
December 8, 2002 at 3:01 PM; New Haven Register

We're News on BookAid
The News page on the BookAid website now mentions our Get A Clue fundraiser, with a link to the site for good measure. Thanks, BookAid - glad to help!
December 8, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

An Attempt To List All The Media That Included Articles About The Get A Clue Fundraiser
North Carolina's News-Observer KTUL in Oklahoma WSET in Virginia Rapid Ciry Journal in South Dakoa WABC in New York City Sarasota Herald-Tribune And all the sites listed if you click here to run a search via Google!
December 8, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (1)

Donor Update, more press
Okay. I have no idea how many donors we have right now, but I DO know we hit our goal of 1500 when the mail arrived today, bearing over 80 letters' worth of donations. Please note that the deadline for check donations has lapsed - money we receive in check form will still be put to the charity, but if it doesn't clear in time for the auction, we cannot count it in our total. We are still accepting cash, PayPal and money/postal orders, and will be until TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10. In other news: Our[...]
December 8, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (2)

Paypal update
In addition to sending the first bulk sum to our bank account from PayPal, we have also stopped the option of sending eChecks - PAYPAL IS STILL OPEN for donations, but you cannot send us an eCheck. Sending an eCheck is the same as sending any other type of check in that it takes days to clear - days that we no longer have. Thank you all again for your generosity - this is mind-boggling, history-making and truly inspiring. As one touching person wrote us in a letter: "Thank you for making[...]
December 8, 2002 at 12:00 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (2)

Leaky Hits Their Goal At Week's End
Leaky has now reached it's 1,500 donations mark! And if you still want to donate, you better do it before Tuesday, the 10th. So keep the support going and spread the word!!
December 7, 2002 at 8:48 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments (2)

Donor update
Alright, we almost hit our goal of 1500 - we're at 1400 now. Keep it going, guys! Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean we can slack off. :-) (Please note that Melissa is kidding, as the support is completely mind-boggling and she sends hugs and love and much holiday cheer to the good people of the world who are trying to make a difference here.) We're going to try - TRY - to have donor lists from the first few days up today. Cross your fingers and hope for the best...
December 7, 2002 at 6:00 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments (2)

Group hoping to make fan bid for clues to next Potter book
A Harry Potter Web site, the Leaky Cauldron, hopes to make the winning bid at a London auction next week for a handwritten note that outlines the plot of the fifth Harry Potter book.
December 7, 2002 at 5:31 PM; WBAY Green Bay

The Word Continues to Spread
More on Leaky Cauldron's auction effort from Newsday.
December 7, 2002 at 4:30 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

More Press Coverage
The website for CBS station KMOV in St. Louis has posted our press release regarding the charity effort. (Registration is required; and thank you to Lisa for helping to get the word out!)
December 6, 2002 at 7:30 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Leaky Inc. continues to drive Potter mania
A message to all Darkmark visitors: We've shout out once, we've shout out twice and we can't stop talking about The Leaky Cauldron's efforts to raise enough money for charity and purchase the mysterious teaser card autographed by J.K. Rowling at Sotheby's. Please, please, please go to Leaky's page all about the auction for the many ways you can quickly contribute and help the online community's efforts to triumph. Go there now: CLICK HERE.
December 6, 2002 at 4:31 PM; DarkMark - Comments

More Thanks and other updates
I've been HORRIBLY remiss not adding two wonderful thank-yous, so they're getting mentioned right here. Sylvan Lane Shoppe has not only put us on their site, but is daring other sites to match their donations. And Mr. Gary Elfe is the terrific man who I spoke to very early on during all of this who originally said it might be a good idea to incorporate. Good idea, indeed. Thank you, Mr. Elfe. Thank you, Sylvan Lane. Thanks everyone, because I'm sitting here amongst all the mail, and it's[...]
December 6, 2002 at 3:30 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Auctioning Teasers to the Next Potter Novel
The latest example of how Harry Potter aficionados - even those of advanced age - are hungering for any morsel about the next installment is a simple index card containing a mere 93 words scribbled in blue ink. The words are from the series' author, J. K. Rowling, and because they are clues to the fifth novel's contents, they have generated frenetic interest as an item to be auctioned by Sotheby's on Thursday in London.
December 5, 2002 at 11:31 PM; New York Times

Leaky Cauldron's Auction Effort Mentioned in the New York Times
Quotage: "A Web site devoted to Harry Potter news, the-leaky-cauldron.org, is trying to raise money among its legions in an effort to bid on the card. As of yesterday, the site had received 860 donations, said its operators, who added that they hoped to reach 1,500 by the end of today. They would not divulge the amount of money raised ..." (If that link does not work, the article may also be viewed here, although registration may be required.)
December 5, 2002 at 8:00 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

AUCTION UPDATE
We're up to 860 donors and are still going strong. But to reach our goal we need help shooting for 1500 donors by the end of THIS Friday! We're adding new banners every day and we've also issued a press release. Take the text from the release and pass it around for a grassroots marketing campaign - (MAKING SURE you tell people to kill the letter by December 10, 2002). Send the PDF or URL of the release to every media outlet you can think of that would cover the story - online, TV, radio and[...]
December 5, 2002 at 3:00 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Book 5 Preview Card Soon Within Our Midst...
The NY Times has a new article on the Book 5 preview card, while speaking a little to our friends over at Leaky. And as Melissa says over there, "SPREAD THE WORD!!!" :) Come on into our new forums and chat about it!
December 5, 2002 at 1:32 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments

Donor Update!
You generous people. We're hovering around One Thousand Donors. The letters have warmed our hearts, the stories of kids giving parents their pocket change for this effort have made us cry, the sheer generosity of this fandom is utterly staggering. Thank you - thank you thank you. BUT. We're not done yet. WE KNOW how many of you are out there - 1000 is not even one percent of THIS SITE's readership, nevermind the fandom. I think you all know by now that this is beyond what's on that card - while[...]
December 5, 2002 at 1:00 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Bid Going Strong
The Leaky Cauldron is doing quite well in their race to gather support for the bid on JK Rowling's teaser card. They have now posted a press release, the two versions of which are linked to below. HTML Version PDF Version Leaky has also informed us that their support base is growing extensively larger with every passing day. "We're up to 860 donors and are still going strong. But to reach our goal we need help shooting for 1500 donors by the end of THIS Friday! We're adding new banners every day[...]
December 5, 2002 at 9:04 AM; UKHarryPotter - Comments

Press on Leaky Cauldron's Auction Effort
Thank you to Javier of FansdeHarryPotter.com for sending us this article from Spanish newspaper El Mundo on our fund-raising effort. (And thank you to everyone who emailed us with the translation; you guys are fast!)
December 4, 2002 at 10:32 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Our Press Releases Are Up
We've put together a press release for news organizations and anyone who wants to forward something official to family and friends (although we encourage you not to spam anyone with them). the PDF version the HTML version
December 4, 2002 at 9:00 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

AUCTION UPDATE!
Wow - suffice it to say that we at TLC are AMAZED at how the community has pooled together to support Book Aid. As of this moment, we are just over 600 donors. If you haven't donated yet - don't delay! If you have, don't think you're done yet! Check out all our new banners and post one on your page or send one to your favorite site. Don't forget to contact your local media and tell them about the auction whether you're in Boston or Brussels! Our goal today is 900 donors bringing us to a total of[...]
December 4, 2002 at 3:00 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

If We Win the Auction
Some of you have asked whether we are allowed to publish the info on the card if we win the auction - the answer is a definitive yes, as I've just asked Sotheby's about it. Keep it going, guys - spread the word spread the word spread the word!
December 4, 2002 at 9:41 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Website Raises Money to "Get a Clue"
I know that we're not usually supposed to advertise other sites on DarkMark, but there's actually a news story and a link for this one so I think that it's newsworthy. A Harry Potter site has started a unique fund-raising appeal - in an attempt to get enough money to buy a set of clues for the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix. As we told you in November, JK Rowling has written 93 words from the book on a card, which will be auctioned for charity on 12 December. Whoever buys the card will[...]
December 3, 2002 at 10:31 PM; DarkMark - Comments

Auction Amount Updates
We've SERIOUSLY considered giving regular updates on the amount of money we've raised on a regular basis - even thought up a counter. However - we have this numbing fear that some rich muggle out there will outbid us by a couple hundred dollars because he (or she) knows how much we have and simply because they can. So we've chosen not to However, we will tell you (starting later tonight) how many contributions we've had thus far to give you an idea. The best thing you can do to help is spread[...]
December 3, 2002 at 6:24 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Leaky Cauldron Accepting Donations!
The Leaky Cauldron is NOW accepting donations for a mass bid on the book five "hint card" that is up for auction at Sotheby's.
December 3, 2002 at 6:01 PM; The Hogwarts Wire

Leaky to Post Number of Donations
Leaky has updated their auction info. We've SERIOUSLY considered giving regular updates on the amount of money we've raised on a regular basis - even thought up a counter. However - we have this numbing fear that some rich muggle out there will outbid us by a couple hundred dollars because he (or she) knows how much we have and simply because they can. So we've chosen not to However, we will tell you (starting later tonight) how many contributions we've had thus far to give you an idea. To find[...]
December 3, 2002 at 2:05 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments

Potter fans start fundraising for Book 5 clues
A Harry Potter site has started a unique fund-raising appeal - in an attempt to get enough money to buy a set of clues for the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix.
December 3, 2002 at 1:01 PM; CBBC Newsround

Leaky's Bid Starts Today
The Leaky Cauldron begins their mass bid for JK Rowling's teaser card today! You can donate money individually through the internet for TLC's noble cause here, at PayPal.com. To donate money to The Leaky Cauldron in a different way, click here. Leaky has also included this bit of information regarding "referral money": "In order for Leaky Inc. to recieve the referral bonus [a 5.00 amount automatically transferred into Leaky's account], the new user must transfer $250 to their own PayPal account[...]
December 3, 2002 at 8:57 AM; UKHarryPotter - Comments

On your marks...get set...
..go! We are on our way to Sothebys. Just click here to donate through PayPal: OK folks - help spread the word. We've got all sorts of banners to post on your Web sites and be sure to send your friends, family and coworkers THIS URL: http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/auction.html Submit this to Web sites like Fark and MetaFilter, post it to your LiveJournal and BlogSpot pages....spread the word and we can Get a Clue!
December 3, 2002 at 8:21 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

LEAKY ACCEPTING DONATIONS!!!!!
Leaky is now accepting donations. To donate using Pay Pal, click HERE!!! Here's a note concerning PayPal from Leaky: In order for Leaky Inc. to recieve the referral bonus, the new user must transfer $250 to their own PayPal account and open a money market account. Just concerned that some people may think that just by openning the Pay Pal account Leaky will get $5.00 and never actually send money. It would be a shame to go through all this hard work to miss out at the end because nobody actually[...]
December 3, 2002 at 5:20 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments

The Leaky Cauldron's auction effort
As many of you know by now, The Leaky Cauldron is organizing a way to raise money to win the book 5 clue card (picture) which is being auctioned off for charity. Conceivably, if every visitor donated a dollar the card would be won easily, and hundreds of thousands of pounds could be raised for charity. Check out the site for more information.
December 3, 2002 at 2:53 AM; MuggleNet - Comments

Clue Card at Sothebys
I've just discovered a picture of the clue card for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that JK Rowling is auctioning off at Sotheby's for charity. Click here to see it!
December 2, 2002 at 9:34 PM; UKHarryPotter - Comments

More on Leaky's Bid
The Leaky Cauldron has announced that they will begin taking donations for the mass bid on JK Rowling's 'teaser card' tomorrow. "We will be ready to begin accepting donations tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3, 2002. You technically can do PayPal now, but we ask you not to yet, because we have to add a checking account to the account to get our donation limit lifted, and that is the last puzzle piece we are waiting for. That will not happen until tomorrow, around 11am EST. You can begin sending[...]
December 2, 2002 at 6:22 PM; UKHarryPotter - Comments

BBC Newsround features Leaky Cauldron Auction Effort
Thanks Newsround! Go here! (As is par for the course with Newsround, they are the first professional press organization with the story! And we love them! And not only because they have rendered fellow editor Heidi speechless - that's just a perk. :-) )
December 2, 2002 at 4:09 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Potter fans club together for Book 5 clues
A Harry Potter site is getting fans together to try and buy a set of clues for the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix. The Leaky Cauldron site has set up a non-profit-making company to raise enough money to buy the card. If they succeed, they will publish the words for Potter fans to see around the world.
December 2, 2002 at 4:01 PM; CBBC Newsround

Auction Update
We will be ready to begin accepting donations tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3, 2002. You technically can do PayPal now, but we ask you not to yet, because we have to add a checking account to the account to get our donation limit lifted, and that is the last puzzle piece we are waiting for. That will not happen until tomorrow, around 11am EST. You can begin sending donations to the address listed on our info page. That is cool - be reminded that checks must clear, so if you are sending one you[...]
December 2, 2002 at 11:46 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Leaky to Start Taking Donations Tomorrow!
Check out The Leaky Cauldron for all the details!! We will be ready to begin accepting donations tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3, 2002. You technically can do PayPal now, but we ask you not to yet, because we have to add a checking account to the account to get our donation limit lifted, and that is the last puzzle piece we are waiting for. That will not happen until tomorrow, around 11am EST. You can begin sending donations to the address listed on our info page. That is cool - be reminded that[...]
December 2, 2002 at 9:33 AM; iharrypotter.net - Comments

Leaky Cauldron Sotheby's Auction Info!
The Leaky Cauldron is almost ready to start accepting donations for a mass bid on the book five "hint card" that is up for auction at Sotheby's. If they win, they will post the contents of the card online for everyone! But, they need your help! Learn more at the LC or from HPANA's cache. Stay tuned!
December 1, 2002 at 11:31 PM; The Hogwarts Wire

The Leaky Guys Are Going Before The Hammer!
As you all know, there are thousands of Harry websites available on the internet, and we all have one common goal - to keep you guys informed of all news Harry related. Our friends over at The Leaky Cauldron are going to be doing something very special in over a week, and I commend them for setting up such a massive task - they will hopefully be bidding for the much publicised card, handwritten by J.K Rowling herself, that contains 93 random words giving clues to the next Harry book. The auction[...]
December 1, 2002 at 9:45 PM; TheSnitch.co.uk - Comments

A Partial Image of What We're Going to Bid On
Joe and others have sent us a link to Sotheby's website where they have a partial image of the famed Index Card.
December 1, 2002 at 9:02 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Leaky's Bid
The Leaky Cauldron has taken a huge step forward in preparation for their mass bid on JK Rowling's handwritten teaser card. Shortly, they will be accepting monetary donations for their cause, but for a limited time only. Read along for more info: "It takes a dollar - or five - or ten - or a hundred - or whatever you want or can give to support children's literacy - to ensure that the contents of that card get into the hands of our readers. Leaky, Inc. has become Leaky, Inc. for this very reason[...]
December 1, 2002 at 12:33 PM; UKHarryPotter - Comments

Auction Information
Hi guys! So - we're back up (much thanks to The Wizard World for posting a notice). We've also got the breakdown on what's going to happen with the auction. We cannot solicit yet, because doing this has involved a hell of a lot of bureaucracy. We're wrapped up in so much red tape right now we look like a Christmas present. But we expect to begin the drive early this week, which will give HP fans about a week to get cracking. So here is the preliminary info, which will also be linked in the[...]
December 1, 2002 at 11:58 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Leaky Incorporates
Here's the latest from Leaky on the mass-bid plan for JK's book 5 preview. That's right guys. You are now looking at Leaky, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation in New York State. What does this mean? It means we are moving ahead with the charity bidding plans. We can't solicit yet as we are waiting for registration from the Attorney General's office to come through. But GET READY, and we will have information soon. If this takes a long time to get approved, we might have to raise all this in a[...]
November 27, 2002 at 12:48 PM; iharrypotter.net - Comments

Leaky, Inc.
That's right guys. You are now looking at Leaky, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation in New York State. What does this mean? It means we are moving ahead with the charity bidding plans. We can't solicit yet as we are waiting for registration from the Attorney General's office to come through. But GET READY, and we will have information soon. If this takes a long time to get approved, we might have to raise all this in a few days - though I think we can do it. We're tossing names for the effort[...]
November 27, 2002 at 10:13 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Rowling To Sell Hints On Upcoming 'Potter' Book
How much would you pay for a few hints on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?[/i] :D [i]LONDON - How much is someone willing to pay to find out what happens to boy wizard Harry Potter in the next installment of his adventures? London auction house Sotheby's reckons about £6,000, or US$9,400. That is its estimated price for a 93-word handwritten document by author JK Rowling that reveals the outline of the plot of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Sotheby's has released a teaser[...]
November 25, 2002 at 7:01 PM; UKHarryPotter - Comments

JK Rowling to sell hint about her next Harry Potter book
JK Rowling is selling a piece of her work that hint the future plotline of the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. All proceeds are going to Book Aid International, a charity that supplies books to the developing world. LONDON - How much is someone willing to pay to find out what happens to boy wizard Harry Potter in the next installment of his adventures? London auction house Sotheby's reckons about £6,000, or US$9,400. That is its estimated price for a 93-word handwritten[...]
November 25, 2002 at 6:51 PM; TheSnitch.co.uk

Sotheby's Auction and Charity Fund
In an attempt to find out for ourselves what is on the teaser card that is being put to auction at Sotheby's, The Leaky Cauldron is asking that its readers contribute as little as a dollar to the bidding of the card on behalf of the online Harry Potter community. Keep in mind, your donations and "all profit meaning, minus PayPal and Sotheby's' cuts whether we win or not, goes to Book Aid, the charity for which the auction is being held," says Melissa Anelli, Managing Editor at TLC. In simpler[...]
November 23, 2002 at 9:31 PM; DarkMark

More on Leaky's Bid Plan
The following is the statement as it appeared on The Leaky Cauldron. The uses of "we" and "us" refer to TLC, not iHP.net Hey guys, just a quick update on the whole Sothebys, Book-5-card thing. We're talking to lawyers, but it looks like it could happen. Soon. TLC would incoporate as a non-profit charity corporation, and that can be done in a day (Monday, one hopes). If that happens, the rest is cake, and we could be looking at having everything set up this coming week, perhaps in time for[...]
November 23, 2002 at 12:51 PM; iharrypotter.net

Book 5 teaser card
The Leaky Cauldron is organizing a plan to buy the 93-word book 5 clue card JKR is auctioning off with visitor donations. We want to see the card too, so we fully support them in this. :)
November 22, 2002 at 8:31 PM; MuggleNet

Rowling's next 'Potter' hint for sale
November 22, 2002 at 4:01 PM; MSNBC

'Potter' outline to be auctioned for charity
November 22, 2002 at 4:01 PM; Nando Times

JK Rowling to sell hint about next Potter book
November 22, 2002 at 9:01 AM; CTV.ca

Sotheby's Estimate
Yahoo! News reports: "How much is someone willing to pay to find out what happens to boy wizard Harry Potter in the next installment of his adventures? London auction house Sotheby's reckons about 6,000 pounds (US$9,400). That is its estimated price for a 93-word handwritten document by author J.K. Rowling that reveals the outline of the plot of 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.' Sotheby's has released a teaser of the highly prized document, which alludes to 'Ron ... broom ... sacked[...]
November 21, 2002 at 6:14 PM; UKHarryPotter - Comments

Rowling to sell hint about book five for charity
How much is someone willing to pay to find out what happens in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix? Sotheby's is betting about about $9,400. That is its estimated price for a 93-word handwritten document by author J.K. Rowling that reveals the outline of the plot of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
November 21, 2002 at 5:31 PM; The Hogwarts Wire

A Note Concerning JK's Book 5 Trailer
The Leaky Cauldron is trying to come up with a way for us fans to donate money to purchase that magic card with 96 words on it that JK wrote concerning Book 5. Once they figure out how they're going to do it, they'll post it on the website. As Leaky pointed out there are hundreds of thousands of Harry Potter fans, and if we each contributed a dollar (US) we'd very easily win this at auction. While it is up to Jasen to put the final ok on this, I don't doubt for a minute that iHP.net will fully[...]
November 21, 2002 at 10:06 AM; iharrypotter.net

Harry Potter Phoenix Scoop!
November 21, 2002 at 9:01 AM; TV Guide Online

Potter V Snippet For Sale
November 21, 2002 at 7:01 AM; SCIFI.COM

Rowling gives clue to next Potter book
The author of the world's most popular children's books has provided a teaser: 93 random words on a card that is up for auction next month at Sotheby's in London. The sale is for Book Aid International, which provides books for developing countries.
November 20, 2002 at 9:00 PM; STUFF

Mystery card hides the secret of Harry Potter's survival
IS Harry Potter destined to die in the next and possibly final instalment of the world-famous wizard saga? With the latest film, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, breaking box office records in Britain in only its first weekend, JK Rowling, the author, has offered the world a tantalising glimpse into the next tale of the young hero - the fifth in the series. The author of the world's most popular children's books has provided a teaser - 93 random words on a card that is up for auction on[...]
November 20, 2002 at 9:00 PM; DarkMark

JKR Teases Fans
CBBC reports: "JK Rowling's giving fans a teasing glimpse into the next Harry Potter book. She's written 93 words on a piece of card and they're all taken randomly from Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. But you can only get your hands on the card if you've got about 6,000; it's being auctioned for charity and that's how much it's expected to raise. It'll be sold at Sotheby's auction house in London on 12 December and JK will autograph it, too. The money will go to Book Aid International[...]
November 20, 2002 at 5:48 PM; UKHarryPotter - Comments (1)

Action for Sotheby's Auction
We all want to know what's on that blasted card that Sotheby's is auctioning off, right? Sadly, none of us are rich - but we are enthusiastic, and we are large in number. And that gives us a tremendous advantage. Editors B.K. DeLong, Heidi Tandy and myself have been in a mass transit of emails all day. We are working out the details of a way to work it so that if readers of this site -- and there are several hundred thousand of you, each day -- pitched in as little as $1, we could buy the card[...]
November 20, 2002 at 3:58 PM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Teaser
November 20, 2002 at 3:30 PM; Coming Soon!

Book Five Plot Partially Revealed
Hi everyone! Couldn't wait to post all of the new bits of information I've gathered up today... JK Rowling has revealed bits of the fifth book's plotline. An autographed card enscribed with 93 randomly chosen words describing the book will be up for auction next month at Sotheby's in London. Sotheby's representatives have released the first few words on the card... "Thirty-eight chapters ... might change ... longest volume ... Ron ... broom ... sacked ... house-elf ... new teacher ... dies ...[...]
November 20, 2002 at 3:03 PM; TheSnitch.co.uk - Comments

Harry Potter author auctions off hints to next book
November 20, 2002 at 3:00 PM; SignOn San Diego

J.K. Rowling Offers "Literary Trailer" For Book 5!!
I like that term :) Check out Books for the scoop!
November 20, 2002 at 11:58 AM; iharrypotter.net

Book 5 clues
Yahoo!: With Harry Potter weaving his magic worldwide at the movies, author JK Rowling has offered a tantalizing glimpse into the next installment of her wizard saga. But you will have to pay up to $9,500 for a clue to what might happen in the eagerly awaited "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix." The author of the world's most popular children's books has provided a teaser -- 93 random words on a card that is up for auction next month at Sotheby's in London. The sale is for Book Aid[...]
November 20, 2002 at 10:30 AM; MuggleNet

Finally, a Sneak Preview about Book 5
Thanks to reader Sylvia, we're pleased to bring you the first sneak preview of Book 5, word for word from an article in Yahoo! Thirty-eight chapters ... might change ... longest volume ... Ron ... broom ... sacked ... house-elf ... new teacher ... dies ... sorry What does any of this mean, and where does it come from? As the article says, JKR has provided a teaser -- 93 random words on a card that is up for auction next month at Sotheby's in London. The above is the fragment that Sotheby's[...]
November 20, 2002 at 8:42 AM; The Leaky Cauldron - Comments

More from HPANA

Back to the PermaNews Index.
Back to the Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator.
Browse the Harry Potter Multimedia Index.