The Blair Partnership, JK Rowling’s literary agency, have just officially announced the massively exciting news that JK Rowling will soon be releasing a new book for adults! They don’t give much away, saying “Further details will be announced later in the year.”
And a handwritten note from Jo on their site reads:
Although I’ve enjoyed writing it just as much, my next novel will be very different from the Harry Potter series.
Stay tuned for more news on this in the weeks and months ahead!
Update: We’ve now learnt from Publishers Lunch that the book will be published by Little, Brown.
Little, Brown has world English rights to the first novel for adults by JK Rowling, the company announced Thursday morning. Little Brown UK publisher David Shelley, Publisher will serve as Rowling’s editor and Michael Pietsch will oversee publication in the US. All other details–title, pub date “and further details about the novel will be announced later in the year.”
They also released this longer quote from Jo:
Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life.
Update 2: The full press release courtesy of Booktrade.info can be read below:
Little, Brown Book Group and Little, Brown and Company are delighted to announce that they will publish J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults worldwide in the English language, both in print and ebooks.
David Shelley, Publisher, Little, Brown Book Group, will be J.K. Rowling’s editor and will be responsible for publication in the United Kingdom with Michael Pietsch, Executive Vice President of Little, Brown and Company, responsible for publication in the United States. The book will be published by Hachette in Australia and in New Zealand and by Hachette’s companies and normal appointed agents for the English language in other markets.
The title, the date for the worldwide publication and further details about the novel will be announced later in the year.
J.K. Rowling said:
“Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life.”
David Shelley said:
“Tim Hely Hutchinson, Ursula Mackenzie and I, and the whole team at Little, Brown in the UK, along with our colleagues David Young and Michael Pietsch at Little, Brown in the USA, are thrilled, honoured and proud to be publishing J.K. Rowling’s new book.
“For me, quite simply, it is a personal and professional dream come true to be working with J.K. Rowling. She is one of the best storytellers in the world, and I am looking forward enormously to helping bring her new novel for adults to her fans and admirers, and to introducing her writing to new readers the world over.”
J.K. Rowling was represented by Neil Blair of The Blair Partnership.
Update 3: In light of the announcement about the release of the new book, JK Rowling’s iconic website, JKRowling.com, is to get a redesign and ‘will be relaunched later this spring’.
