This news deserves extra exclamation marks! J.K. Rowling is finally going to publish her first non-Harry Potter novel, and it’s for adults, to boot.
*let’s bring out our clapper for the second time today*
Little, Brown Book Group and Little, Brown and Company are delighted to announce that they will publish J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults worldwide in the English language, both in print and ebooks.
David Shelley, Publisher, Little, Brown Book Group, will be J.K. Rowling’s editor and will be responsible for publication in the United Kingdom with Michael Pietsch, Executive Vice President of Little, Brown and Company, responsible for publication in the United States. The book will be published by Hachette in Australia and in New Zealand and by Hachette’s companies and normal appointed agents for the English language in other markets.
The title, the date for the worldwide publication and further details about the novel will be announced later in the year.
In the press release (full text here: click!), she said that it’s only fitting that she work with another publisher for this new phase of her career. I think it’s a good move, especially if we’re talking about the huge sales that will be generated by just her name on the cover alone. Harry Potter has made millions for Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and her other international publishers, and it’s nice to know that JKR is spreading the love around by giving this book to Little, Brown.
Of course, LB already has The Twilight Saga as the big moneymaker on its roster, so… good job, LB, good job. 
I’ve worried for so long about how she can’t seem to tear herself away from Potter after repeatedly saying that Deathly Hallows will be the last of it. We got The Tales of Beedle the Bard, her producing credits for the last 2 Potter films, and Pottermore. Not that I’m complaining, but I love JKR’s writing, and I don’t want her to go down in history as a one-trick pony, so this new book is welcome news.
I wonder what kind of story JKR has seen fit to throw at her adult fans. I hope it’s not a fantasy novel. Or if it is, I hope that the fantasy part is more subdued. If it turns out to have even half the kind of wit and detailed plotting of the Potter books, though, I can breathe a sigh of relief.
But oh, the critics and fans alike who will most likely look at this novel under their version of an electron microscope! Oh, the pressure to come out with something brilliant!
No matter what, this Rowling fan is still going to buy it and read it. *excited*
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Edited to add: Lisa reminded me of that old speculation that JKR’s next non-Potter book will be a mystery, but it was from an unconfirmed source. Well, JKR can probably write a great mystery, something like an Agatha Christie meets Katherine Neville. Or maybe a Steve Berry-esque historical adventure with a dash of fantasy? Hrmmm…
And so begins The Great Next Novel Speculation.
What do you think it’ll be, folks?
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Edit #2: JKR just tweeted!
When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
