Rowling spoke of floods of tears and a "sense of bereavement" when writing the last Harry Potter book, but she is now ready to move on.
She spoke of floods of tears and a "sense of bereavement" when writing the last Harry Potter book, but JK Rowling is now ready to move on.
The author has signed a publishing deal to release her first novel for adults, in what is one of the most anticipated literary launches in years. The subject matter, title and release date are being kept under wraps. However, within minutes of yesterday's (Thursday's) announcement, the internet was abuzz with rumours of the book's genre.
Speculation was stoked by Rowling's elusive comment that "the freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me".
Ian Rankin, whose successful Rebus detective novels are set in Edinburgh, the city where Rowling famously sat in coffee shops to stave off cold as she wrote the first Harry Potter book, hinted that it would be a crime novel.
"Wouldn't it be funny if JK Rowling's first novel for adults turned out to be a crime story set in Edinburgh? My word yes," he told his Twitter followers.
All that is known is that worldwide English rights to the book have been bought by publisher Little, Brown, a division of the French company Hachette Livre. "Further details" will be announced later this year, it said.
The deal means that Rowling's relationship with Bloomsbury, the publisher that launched the Harry Potter books, has come to an end, at least in terms of new works by the author.
Rowling, who is worth an estimated pounds 530?million, 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." Rowling added that she was "delighted" to have a "second publishing home" in Little, Brown.
Book retailers, who are struggling from declining sales and increased competition from e-books, described the announcement as "electrifying".
If the new book sells a fraction of the 30 million copies that her seven Harry Potter books sold in the UK, then the industry is guaranteed booming sales.
Neil Blair, the author's literary agent at The Blair Partnership, remained tight lipped about the book. He said it was "exciting news" when contacted by The Daily Telegraph but would reveal no more.
A spokesman for Waterstones said: "She has an incomparably large fan base, and the potential audience for this book is staggering."
In a statement, Bloomsbury said that it is "proud" to remain Rowling's children's book publisher and that from 2013 onwards it will publish illustrated editions of the Harry Potter books.
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