This was published in today’s Publishers Lunch.
Trade Version of Rowling’s “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” Coming
J K Rowling’s TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD–the book of wizarding folk tales referred to in the Deathly Hallows se she wrote by hand and illustrated herself, producing only seven copies, one which was bought at auction by Amazon for $4 million–will be issued in a trade edition after all, on December 4. Rowling will also add “notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters’ Archive.”Amazon will produce up to 100,000 facsimile “collector’s editions” (at $100/50 pounds) and Scholastic and Bloomsbury will print and distribute trade editions–all on behalf of the Children’s High Level Group, a charity co-founded by Rowling to help children suffering in institutions. (CHLG is technically the publisher.)The charitable group will receive all “net proceeds,” estimated in the release to be about $8 million. Though in a quote from Rowling, she says the charity will receive the “royalties.” (Note that Amazon’s edition alone would gross $10 million….).Rowling says in the announcement: “There was understandable disappointment among Harry Potter fans when only one copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard was offered to the public last December. I am therefore delighted to announce that, thanks to the generous support of Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Amazon (who bought the handwritten copy at auction) – and with the blessing of the wonderful people who own the other six original books – The Tales of Beedle the Bard will now be widely available to all Harry Potter fans.”
