The latest installment in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) sold some 9 million copies in the first twenty-four hours — most books never sell that many in their entire print run. Truly the world is “wild about Harry.” But what does that mean for the rest of the science fiction and fantasy genre?

For a long time, science fiction and fantasy was considered a “geeky” genre of unicorns, elves and spaceships, to be read only by the unsociable fringes of society. Now, everyone reads Harry Potter. This is an unprecedented opportunity to bring the science fiction and fantasy genre into the mainstream’s eye and thus gain it the recognition it deserves. Can those readers, who may never have picked up a speculative fiction book before, be convinced to read other fantasy novels while they’re waiting for the Harry Potter number 7?

My answer: yes. It could mean a whole new resurgence of science fiction and fantasy, possibly another Golden Age, if only we can lure in all those new readers.

Think back to a time before you ever heard of a boy wizard. What was your favorite book? More importantly, why was it your favorite book? What was it about the book that made you fall in love? Was it the first science fiction book you ever read? There was a certain wonderfulness about that book that drew you back to read it again and again.

Now, did you share that feeling with others?

One of the single biggest marketing tools for books is word-of-mouth. If you read a good book, do you tell others about it? If you enjoyed the book, you should.

This is how Harry Potter got started. Harry Potter’s first print run of 500 copies by Bloomsbury wasn’t any different from any other children’s book they published. So, how did it become so popular? By word-of-mouth and a few good reviews. That word-of-mouth reached — and impressed — a few people at Scholastic who bid for The Philosopher’s Stone at an auction, paying US$100,000. After paying such an amount for a book, naturally, they launched an impressive publicity campaign, and the rest is history.

Word-of-mouth brought millions to Harry Potter, whether it was the Essex mum who, in 1997, gossiped over the fence to her neighbor or little Johnny Nielsen in 2005 who listened to anything portrayed in the media. (And what is the media but a glorified, technologicized grapevine?)

This same word-of-mouth power can work for the rest of the genre and this is how:

Start talking about the books you read.

Have you picked up the latest by Elizabeth Bear and loved it? Did you read Terry Pratchett’s newest novel? Is there a stunning new author out that nobody’s ever heard of except for you? Talk about them! Praise these books you enjoy to other people, even if you don’t think they’re readers.

Has the conversation turned to Harry Potter? Everyone seems to chat about him quite a bit. This is an ideal time to mention other books, especially if you preface this mention by the fact that it’s going to be another two years until “Harry Potter and Whatever” comes out. “Meanwhile, I’m reading Kim Wilkins’ ‘Gina Champion’ series,” you could say. “Gina’s psychic, you know.”

People love Harry Potter for various reasons: the plot, the characters, etc. Recommend books that share those same elements. This technique also works for those few who don’t like Harry Potter. “I don’t like the style.” “It’s got too much witchcraft.” “I don’t like boarding school books.” It is an easy matter to recommend a book that features elements different to Harry Potter. “Perhaps you’d like Anne McCaffrey’s ‘Dragonriders of Pern’ series instead.”

If you are a reader, be seen reading books. Carry them with you to work, pull them out of your bag at the supermarket when you search for your wallet, display them prominently in your home. Talk about them with strangers you meet. When the check-out chick asks you how you are, you can say, “Doing pretty good. Have you ever read this?” and show her the book. “Man, it’s as good as Harry Potter! You ought to give it a try.” You could even write the name down for her. It works with dental receptionists, fellow bus passengers, people in the elevator and more.

Blogs are an excellent place to rave about the books you read. People tend to be more proactive with the info they read in blogs. Regular readers of your blogs will probably check out the books you recommend, especially if you explain why you loved that book so much. You don’t have to devote an entire entry to the book–just a line or two will do.

Why does word-of-mouth work so well? The truth is people are always looking for something to make them happier. If you show that a book is bringing you joy, they may consider giving it a read.

There are ways beyond word-of-mouth for encouraging fans of Harry Potter to read other science fiction and fantasy books. Organizations devoted to improving literacy abound everywhere.

Libraries have literacy programs and are in the habit of suggesting further reading to their patrons. You can help in several ways from creating a Recommended Reading List for their patrons to volunteering to run a seminar or presentation about science fiction and fantasy books. Many libraries are eager for volunteers to help with their literacy programs. For example, if your local library doesn’t have a youth book club, encourage them to start one, especially if it promotes science fiction and fantasy.

More formal programs exist, like Reading For the Future (http://www.readingforfuture.com/ ), an organization to help young people develop a love of reading through speculative fiction. One of their successful programs is the “Pass It On!” campaign, where donated science fiction and fantasy books are given to youth readers on the caveat that when they are done, they must pass it on to someone else.

Bookcrossing (http://www.bookcrossing.com/ ) is another way to get books into the hands of future fantasy readers. Release a science fiction or fantasy book to a future fantasy reader or “in the wild” with one of Bookcrossing’s tracking numbers, and see how many people read it. (Interesting stat: “Angel Fire East” by fantasy author Terry Brooks is one of the top ten most traveled books.)

If volunteerism isn’t quite your thing, look to donate to a literacy fund. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Literacy Fund (http://www.sfwa.org/org/funds.htm#LitFund ) promotes literacy through science fiction and fantasy, or you can choose a literacy fund of your choice, one that will promote science fiction and fantasy.

Pottermania sweeps the world right now. It has opened the door to the world of speculative fiction to millions of readers who would otherwise have never picked up a fantasy book, but it won’t remain open forever. Now is the time for the best opportunity to bring new readers to the genre we love so much. Don’t let those new readers fade back into the obscurity of Mundania–encourage them to read science fiction and fantasy.