British novelist J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter franchise, announced on Wednesday the release of three new e-books centered not so much on any particular magical youngster but on the mystical school which shapes them into the wizards they become, Hogwarts.
The three short stories, which will only be released in digital form, will only set readers back three dollars a piece, Variety magazine reported, citing Ms. Rowling’s Pottermore.com website, which describes itself as the “digital heart of the Wizarding World, packed with exclusive writing, news, features and surprises.”
Harry Potter fans on Twitter seemed generally happy with the news, although some expressed disappointment that there are no plans for a print edition of the short stories.
“Ah, I hope the three new ebooks on @pottermore are released one day in physical form. ereaders just aren’t cozy,” complained user @draug419. “[P]lease consider it @jk_rowling I like having an actual book,” said fan Amy Rhoades.
Of course, popular demand could all but force a change of plans. After all, by at least one measure, another recent project of Ms. Rowling’s has bested the Bard.
As the Daily Mail reported on Aug. 11, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” Ms. Rowling’s new play, “has become the biggest-selling edition of a play script since records began, making £8.76 million in just seven days.”
“In the first week since it went on sale, eager fans have snapped up 847,886 copies of the Little, Brown Book Group publication,” said the Mail, while “[a] Penguin Classics edition of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a distant second on the list, having sold 127,726 copies since 1998.”
Ms. Rowling’s play, co-written with English screenwriter Jack Thorne, picks up nearly two decades after Harry Potter leaves Hogwarts, explains the Mail.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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