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.

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!"