J K Rowling

The art agency that bought a book of fairy tales by J.K. Rowling for nearly $4 million at a London auction Thursday turns out to have been acting on behalf of Amazon.com, and the Web retailer wasted no time in posting photos and information about its purchase Friday at www .amazon.com/beedlebard. The book, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," was handwritten and illustrated by Rowling after she finished her "Harry Potter" series.

J.K. Rowling, well into her seventh and final "Harry Potter" book, says the writing is going fine despite one annoying obstacle: the lack of paper. "Why is it so difficult to buy paper in the middle of town?" the author, a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland, lamented in a diary entry posted Wednesday on her website, www.jkrowling.com.

J.K. Rowling received an honorary doctorate Thursday from Aberdeen University for her support of research into multiple sclerosis. Rowling, whose mother, Anne, died of multiple sclerosis in 1990 at age 45, was awarded a doctorate of laws in a ceremony at Aberdeen's Marischal College. Dressed in a dark suit, the creator of the bestselling Harry Potter books smiled to acknowledge the audience's applause as she received the honor. "I am thrilled....

Relax, Harry Potter fans. J.K. Rowling now has plenty of paper. The author, a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland, who writes in longhand, is busy writing the seventh and final Potter book. She had complained last month that she was having a hard time finding writing paper. "Be careful what you wish for; it might come true," she wrote in a message posted earlier this week on her website. She said fans had deluged her with paper.

The record price and epic length of the new "Harry Potter" novel hasn't stopped the publisher from expecting extraordinary sales: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," hitting bookstores June 21, has a first printing of 6.8 million. J.K. Rowling's previous Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," came out in July 2000 with a first printing of 3.8 million. It sold out within 48 hours and now has more than 16 million copies in print.

We now have a title for Harry Potter VII: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Author J.K. Rowling's U.S. publisher, Scholastic Inc., released a brief statement Thursday announcing the name of the world's most anticipated children's book, the finale to her phenomenally popular fantasy series. No publication date or other details were offered. Rowling is still working on the book, she explained on her website in an entry posted early Thursday.

On the first day of U.S. sales, the new Harry Potter book flew out of local bookstores Wednesday much like the story's hero, a kid wizard on a swift broomstick. "I don't remember anything quite this wonderful before," said Jody Shapiro, owner of Adventures for Kids in Ventura. The store sold 46 copies of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (Scholastic)--the third in a series--by late Wednesday morning, Shapiro said. (On Oct. 25, from 10 a.m.

"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling was named Wednesday as a recipient of an inaugural Jim Henson Honor, an award that reflects the values of the late Muppets creator. The British author behind the boy wizard was chosen for the Jim Henson Celebration Honor, the top award. "By encouraging audiences of all ages to rediscover the magic of books and reading, Ms. Rowling has truly made this world a better place," said Brian Henson, son of the award's namesake.

Children's author J.K. Rowling has revealed that at least two characters will die in the seventh and final installment of her bestselling Harry Potter series, but she wouldn't say who. "No, I'm not going to commit myself, because I don't want the hate mail or anything else," she said in an interview broadcast Monday on Britain's Channel 4. She did explain that she understood an author's desire to kill off the main character in a successful series.