Pub Date Set for Next Harry Potter Title

The sixth title in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- has been scheduled for release on Saturday, July 16, 2005, in the U.S., Britain, Canada, and Australia. The announcement was made on Tuesday, December 21, by Rowling's publishers, Scholastic and Bloomsbury. Rowling announced on her Web site (www.jkrowling.com) on Monday, December 20, that she had delivered the manuscript to her publishers.

Scholastic will publish the book in hardcover under the Arthur A. Levine imprint. The title's suggested retail price will be $29.99, and it will again feature cover art by Mary Grand Pre. The book's ISBN will be 0-439-78454-9.

In making the joint announcement, Barbara Marcus, president of Scholastic Children's Books in the U.S., and Nigel Newton, chief executive of Bloomsbury Publishing in Britain, said, "We are delighted to announce the publication date. J.K. Rowling has written a brilliant story that will dazzle her fans in a marvelous book that takes the series to yet greater heights."

To allow BookSense.com stores to begin taking pre-orders, BookSense.com has added information about the new title to its database, and participating stores can now use their local content area to feature the title prominently on their store's Web site. Booksellers with questions should contact staff@booksense.com.

Look for a report on how independent booksellers are pre-selling and marketing this title more than six months before its publication date, in an upcoming edition of BTW.