The J.K. Rowling Suite

The hotel where J.K. Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is now reopening the room the author stayed in as the "J.K. Rowling Suite" (aka room 552). The room will run you around £1,000 per night, but several wealthy fans have already checked in to the room, which features the signed bust of Hermes that Jo signed during her stay.

An unnamed worker at the hotel said: "As JK Rowling finished her book in this suite, we thought it would be a nice way to honour this. The room is exactly the same as when Miss Rowling finished her book there."

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The only other changes are a brass plaque that has been fixed to the front door and the door knocker being replaced by a brass owl in homage to those featured in the books.

J.K. Rowling Signs Petition to Prevent Book Age Banding

J.K. Rowling has joined along side several other famous authors against publisher's plans to label children's books with "appropriate" age bands. Jo, along with authors Anthony Horowitz, Terry Pratchett and Alan Garner, have signed the online petition No to Age Banding. The petition argues that age banding books is "ill-conceived, damaging to the interests of young readers and highly unlikely to make the slightest difference to sales."

The initiative comes after research commissioned by the Children's Book Group of the Publishers' Association two years ago suggested that 86% of consumers were in favour of age guidance. While some have questioned the research, the scheme has attracted the support of major children's imprints including Random House, Penguin and Scholastic. From this autumn, book covers of participating publishers will bear a logo indicating they are suitable for readers aged 5+, 7+, 9+, 11+ and 13+/teen.

Market leaders such as Philip Pullman, who launched the notoagebanding.com site, have secured exemption from these plans, and Macmillan books is promising to consult all their authors. But some lesser known names, such as Keith Gray, whose Ostrich Boys has just been published by Random House, are already seeing the brand introduced on their books against their wishes.

Rowling's publisher Bloomsbury currently has no plans to introduce the label for any of its authors, although it has not ruled out the idea. Opposition from Rowling may make them - and other publishers - think again.

Update: Edinburgh to Honor JKR

Last Fall we reported that the city of Edinburgh has plans to honor J.K. Rowing, as it was where she started and finished writing the Harry Potter books. The Scotsman is now reporting that Jo will be “immortalised in a Hollywood-style “walk of fame” in the quadrangle outside the City Chambers, where she will leave her handprints.”

Scotland's leading literary figures are expected to attend a gala dinner that will be held for the occasion.

A source at the city council said: "It should be a fantastic occasion. We're trying to ensure as many other Edinburgh people who have won major awards over the year will be there so they can share in the occasion."

Potter Prequel Receives 70,000 in First 20 Hours

Fan will remember a 800-word Potter prequel by J.K. Rowling was sold at a charity auction in London last week. The prequel has since been available to read online here and here (non-flash version). Utalkmarketing.com is now reporting that the website received more than 70,000 visitors in the first 20 hours after posting the prequel.

The prequel was among 13 submitted story cards donated by various authors, including Neil Gaiman. All 13 cards will be published along with the winners of the Waterstone’s “What’s Your Story?” competition on August 7th in a special charity book, which can be pre-ordered here. Proceeds will go to the English Pen and Dyslexia Action charities in the UK.

Potter Prequel Online; More on Buyer

The 800 word Harry Potter prequel that J.K. Rowling wrote for charity can now be viewed online here or here.

Also, this morning Bloomsberg has some more information on the bidder who one Jo's card last night at the charity auction in London. The card sold to Hira Digpal, president of Tokyo-based investment-banking consulting company Red-33.

Digpal, who originally had a closed bid of 50,000 pounds before halving his offer, said he faxed a letter to Rowling's publisher asking for the author's cooperation to use the story in a way that would raise more money for charity. He declined to give details of the proposal.

``Here I am, owning a piece of literary history,'' said Digpal in a phone interview from Tokyo. ``I think I got a bargain. Hopefully, we can raise much more than the sale.''

Potter Prequel Sells For 25,000 Pounds

This evening, the 800 word Potter Prequel that J.K. Rowling wrote on a small storycard for charity was auctioned off for 25,000 pounds ($48,855). The short story, written on a sheet of A5 paper, was one of 13 submissions made by various authors, and was was sold to "an absentee bidder."

As for the story itself, which can be viewed online via this link tomorrow, AFP is reporting that story is set three years before Harry's birth, in which James Potter and Sirius Black are "confronted by two policemen after a high-speed motorcycle chase, and evade the authorities using their broomsticks and magic."

Furthermore, the BBC has a video of Lizo covering the auction and reading an excerpt from the card.

Not only will copies of the 13 storycards be available online and on display in Waterstone's across the UK, but a book featuring the stories can be preordered here.

Full Text and Video of JKR Commencement Speech

Full text and video of yesterday's commencement speech given by J.K. Rowling at Harvard is now online and can be viewed here.

Live Feed of JKR Harvard Commencement Speech on June 5

A couple of months back, we told you that J.K. Rowling would be this year's Harvard Commencement speaker on Thursday, June 5th. There is news today that the ceremonies will be broadcast live via this link, allowing fans everywhere to watch our favorite author. Jo will be speaking sometime between 2:15 and 4:00pm. Afterwards, full test and video of the speech will be available here for all those who can't catch the live feed.

On a related note, "Hedwig's Theme," has been being played on the Lowell House bells at Harvard in anticipation of Jo's visit. Jeremy Lin, a Harvard senior and resident bell-ringer states:

"We do a ring every year for Halloween, and one of the things that started after Halloween is that somebody figured out how to play the Harry Potter theme. That person has since graduated, but we knew that it was possible, so we kind of worked up our own version and we thought that it would be nice to play for her."

The bells will ring one last time after this year's commencement, upon which they will be dismantled and returned to their original owner's, the Danilov Monastery in Moscow, which is the residence of the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

You can hear the bells play "Hedwig's Theme" here.

Thanks, TLC.

JKR Hosts MS Charity Ball

Last night, J.K. Rowling hosted a MS (Multiple Sclerosis) charity ball at Harburn House, West Lothian. According to the Sunday Mail, the event earned £320,436 for Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland, which Jo is patron over. Of interest, one item included in the featured charity auction " was the chance to be immortalised as a wizard or witch in a portrait at the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Florida."

JKR Updates About Potter Prequel

J.K. Rowling has updated her official website about the 800-word Harry Potter prequel that she wrote for charity:

A few months ago a number of authors were invited to handwrite cards for auction by Waterstones, on June 10, all proceeds to go to English PEN, the writers' association, and the Dyslexia Society.

After playing around with a number of different ideas I decided to write a short (for me!) excerpt from a prequel to the Potter series. It is about 800 words long and the action takes place around 3 years before Harry is born.

Although I did feel a bit like a relapsing addict as I sat down to write - the words poured from my pen with frightening ease - I am NOT working on a prequel. Indeed, I've written that clearly at the bottom of the card itself. I just thought that this was the best way to make money for two extremely worthwhile charities.

The good news for Potter fans who will not be able to bid at the auction is that you will be able to read the short story (along with amazing contributions from Doris Lessing, Margaret Atwood, Tom Stoppard, Irvine Welsh, Sebastian Faulks, Axel Scheffler, Lauren Child, Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Lisa Appignanesi, Richard Ford, and Michael Rosen) by purchasing a book of facsimiles, which will be available in August. The proceeds from this book, too, will go to the charities.

Remember that story will also be available to read online on June 11th.

More on Potter Prequel

A followup on yesterday's big news that J.K. Rowling has written an 800-word prequel to the Harry Potter series for charity. The Guardian is now reporting that the prequel is about James and Sirius in their younger years.

CBBC Newsround also has a photo of the part of the card with Jo's previously released quote about the prequel: "From the prequel I am not working on - but that was fun!"

JKR Writes Potter Prequel for Charity

Earlier this month this we reported that J.K. Rowling was to write original work on a blank “storycard” for a charity auction in the UK. MSNBC is reporting tonight that J.K. Rowling wrote a 800-word, writing on both sides of the card, "prequel to her seven-book Harry Potter saga."

The article goes on to say: "Organizers refused to comment on the content of Rowling's Harry Potter prequel, but Hogwarts fans hoping for another book to add to their collection may be disappointed by her signoff."

"From the prequel I am not working on — but that was fun!'' Rowling wrote.

In the past Jo has stated that she does not plan on writing a full prequel or sequel for the Potter series, excluding Beedle of the Bard and the much anticipated encyclopedia.

Jo's prequel will be published along with the 12 other authors' who contributed in a book that will go on sale in August. The cards will be posted online June 11th, so expect to be able to read the short prequel soon.

Special Edition Sorcerer's Stone; New Cover Art

Scholastic has announced that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will be released in a special anniversary edition on September 23, 2008 and sell for $30.00. Not only does the book feature new artwork from Mary Grandpré, the illustrator for al the past US Potter books, but the book will feature bonus material from J.K. Rowling herself.

The new cover art shows Harry looking into the Mirror of Erised, and can be viewed here. “It's a real treat for me to get another chance to visually bring Harry back to his fans in not only a new scene, but in a new light,” said Mary Grandpré. “Going back to draw the first cover for the anniversary edition was an opportunity for me to show another side of Harry... a vulnerable side. Having come to know and love Harry the way we all have, after experiencing the whole series, I think we can appreciate him even more on an emotional level.”

JKR Named Author of the Year at Children's Choice Book Awards

A couple of months ago we reported that J.K. Rowling was nominated for the 2007 Author of the Year at the Children's Choice Book Awards. The awards were presented yesterday in New York City, and Jo was named “Author of the Year,” for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Congrats, Jo!

JKR/WB vs. RDR Books: Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law

The Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law documents from both Plaintiffs JKR/WB and Defendant RDR Books are now online. These documents show each side’s analysis of the trial and opinion on how it should conclude. Once again, the ever wonderful Leaky has proveded summaries of the lengthy legal documents, which you can view here (JKR/WB) and here (RDR).

You can view the full legal documents here (JKR/WB) and here (RDR).

JKR Donates 'Storycard' for Charity Auction

Bloomberg is reporting tonight that J.K. Rowling has donated a special “storycard” for a charity auction in the UK. J.K. Rowling among the likes of of authors Richard Ford, Nick Hornby, Doris Lessing, Tom Stoppard and Sebastian Faulks have all written an original piece on a “blank A5 sheet."

The auction will be held in London, England on June 10th at a branch of Waterstone’s; it “will be restricted to an invited audience and bidders.” Proceeds from the auction will be donated to English PEN and Dyslexia Action.

Complete Lexicon Trial Transcripts

Thanks to Leaky via Standford Law School, complete transcripts of all three days of the Lexicon trial are now online:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

MTV Sheds Light on 'Fair Use'

I was watching some videos on MTV today only to find a new and quite useful article regarding the Lexicon trial between J.K. Rowling/Warner Brothers and RDR Books (our reaction podcast should be up by tomorrow evening). The article is a week old, but it's still quite handy, as it talks those of us who are not versed in the art of legal jargon through the issue of "fair use". When the trial wrapped up last week, it was still hazy who was in the right and who was in the wrong under the eyes of the law because of the vague "fair use" laws. So for all of those still confused, you can check out the article here.

It's unofficially a duel between the richest, most successful author in the world and a 50-year-old librarian, but the case of J.K Rowling v. RDR Books, now playing out in a federal court in New York, doesn't hinge on magical knowledge, superior weaponry or even powerful friends, but on a somewhat-complicated U.S. law known as the doctrine of fair use.

So what, exactly, is fair use, and why is Rowling arguing in court that "The Harry Potter Lexicon" breaks the guidelines established for it to work? And why can we quote liberally from "Harry Potter," at seeming random if I like ("Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"), while Steve Vander Ark is being enjoined from doing what, at face value, appears to be the very same thing?

The answer lies in a piece of legislation only 30 years old and the four provisions it outlines as the foundation of fair use.

New JKR Documentary to Air on ABC in November

ABC News is set to release a documentary about J.K. Rowling this November. The in-depth profile "includes several interviews, the book tour for the final "Harry Potter" installment, and a tour of locations that inspired her characters. It even hints to what the future holds for Harry and his friends." ABC is currently working with U.K. producer RDF Media, on the documentary.

AP on Lexicon Lawsuit: The Blurry Line in Copyright Law

The Associated Press has posted a summary of the lawsuit over the Lexicon book that began back in October, which does a good job at explaining this whole thing for the less legal inclined among us. The article specifically talks about why this trial, a "fair use" trial, is so tricky:

U.S. rules allow for the "fair use" of copyrighted material in unauthorized works, but there are limits. Journalists may quote from films and books when writing a review. Scholars can use excerpts from a novel while penning an author's biography.

Generally, the call on whether such uses are legal comes down to how much material was taken and how different the end product is from the original work.

Lawrence Pulgram, an intellectual property lawyer who represented Napster in a copyright fight with the rock band Metallica, said deciding where to draw the line is rarely easy.

"Fair use is the most erratically applied doctrine in copyright," he said.

Works like Vander Ark's lexicon fall into one of the tougher categories. It takes the form of an A-to-Z list of the hundreds of characters and place names from her books, followed by brief entries summarizing how they fit into the plot. There is also information on the origin of some of her characters in mythology and folklore.

Rowling and her legal team acknowledged that readers' guides like the lexicon are, in fact, allowed under the law, but made the case that Vander Ark simply took too much material. [Editor Note: To see the pie chart evidence, click here and scroll down]

U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson Jr. indicated that the case could go either way and encouraged both sides to settle. He suggested that a creative negotiation might produce a book that both sides could live with.

Rowling said during her testimony that Vander Ark could still do his book, as long as he changed it to take less of her material.

"I never ever once wanted to stop Mr. Vander Ark from doing his own guide. Never ever," she said, before asking the judge again to block it in its current form.