Harry Potter Grows Up? J.K. Rowling to Write First Adult Book

Best-selling author moves on from her boy wizard past and signs new publishing deal to write a novel for a more mature audience base

By Gina Serpe Feb 23, 2012 4:32 PMTags
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Here's a novel idea. Literally.

This may come as a shock to the legions of avid and not exactly youthful readers of the Harry Potter series, but the books chronicling the exploits of a boy wizard were in fact for kids.

But just as Hogwarts' star pupil has grown up, so too has the readership targeted by author J.K. Rowling, as it was announced this morning that the best-selling scribe has signed a publishing deal to pen her first novel intended for adults (ahem).

Here's the deal...

As with all of Rowling's literary works, info is scarce and plot points (to say nothing of other far more basic details) are being kept under tight wraps.

So far, not even a title or date of publication for the novel have been disclosed, though both will be tantalizingly rolled out later this year. Rowling, meanwhile, has made it clear that while she may be moving on from her kid-friendly subject matter of the past, her ability to do so is down to one (fictional) man boy: Harry Potter himself.

"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," she said.

"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."

And, it follows, plenty of anxiously awaiting readers.