Nearly five years after the release of her final “Harry Potter” novel, author J.K. Rowling announced yesterday she will be writing a new book, geared toward adults.
Details of the new book are limited, though Rowling’s neighbor, author Ian Rankin, thinks she has written a mystery novel. On Thursday, Rankin tweeted “Wouldn’t it be funny if J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults turned out to be a crime story set in Edinburgh? My word yes.”
[pullquote]“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.” — J.K. Rowling[/pullquote]
The Rowling camp has revealed very little about the upcoming novel. The Washington Post reported that Rowling has signed a deal with a new publisher for the novel. The new publisher, Little, Brown, also publishes another frenzy-inducing series, Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight.”
“As her new book is for a different audience, and marks a new literary direction for her, it made sense to separate the two and for her new book to be launched by a different publisher,” Neil Blair, Rowling’s long-time agent, told the Washington Post.
Rowling echoed these sentiments.
“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,” Rowling said in a statement.
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Those at Little, Brown are obviously excited to work with the author of history’s fastest-selling book series.
“For me, quite simply, it is a personal and professional dream come true to be working with J.K. Rowling,” David Shelley, publisher of Little, Brown Book Group, said in a statement. “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.”
Rowling, however, is be no means abandoning the series that made her famous. She plans on publishing illustrated editions of the “Potter” books, as well as a Harry Potter encyclopedia. These projects will still be done under Bloomsbury, the publishing company that published all the “Potter” novels. She is also still involved with Pottermore, an interactive Harry Potter website that launched in October.
