J.k. Rowling | The New York Observer

Thursday, October 16

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:07:31 -0400

Before J. K. Rowling, there was R. L. Stine, the author whose entire slasher oeuvre we consumed during our “fat years” in the front of the school bus in the late ’80s, and tonight he reads scary stories at the 92nd Street Y to get us in the mood for Halloween, when we’ll all dress up as slutty Sarah Palins and Ashley Alexandra Duprés. … Ah, would that we could just sail away like...

J.K. Rowling Sells Wizard Tales for Charity

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:50:31 -0400

Nerd alert! J.K. Rowling is releasing a book of wizard fairy tales, called The Tales of Beedle the Bard, for her reading charity.

The book will be published Dec. 4 by Bloomsbury in Britain and Scholastic in America. Amazon also plans a leather-bound collectors' edition that will sell for $100.

The book, written and illustrated by Ms. Rowling, is a collection of five wizard tales referred to in her Harry Potter series, according...

J.K. Rowling's Harvard Commencement Speech

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:53:41 -0400

Is it lame to still geek out whenever J.K. Rowling makes a public appearance? It probably is but, no matter, we're going to update you about her Harvard Commencement speech anyway. She was the university's fifth female Commencement speaker since 1950. At the June 5 ceremony talked about her greatest challenges and achievements: failure and imagination. Aw!

You might think that I chose my second theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part...

20/20 Prepares J.K. Rowling Doc

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:53:33 -0400

While J.K. Rowling is fighting for the integrity of her Harry Potter series in a New York court, ABC is scheming to make a documentary about the Potter author's very private life. Reuters reports that 20/20 will air the profile some time in November and will include several interviews, scenes from the final Harry Potter book tour, and a peek at the locations that inspired her characters. ABC is again working with U.K. producer...

JK Rowling to Appear in New York Court

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:43:23 -0400

Well, maybe. Brit JK Rowling, the Harry Potter lady, and Warner Bros, the studio behind the movie versions, are suing New York publisher RDR Books over an encyclopedia devoted to the boy wizard and other characters from the series. A witness list needs to be handed to the judge for the New York Federal District court case by April 4 and Ms. Rowling is expected to be on it, according to the Sydney Morning...

J.K. Rowling To Speak at Harvard Commencement

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:21:14 -0500

Harvard announced today that J. K. Rowling will deliver the keynote address at this year's commencement ceremony, which will be held on June 5th. As is customary, the Harry Potter author will receive an honorary degree from the university.

Newly minted Harvard president Drew Faust issued a statement this morning in which she praised Ms. Rowling for getting kids to read.

"Perhaps no one in our time has done more than J. K....

Remains of the Day: Stolen Art; Michi on Sacks; Rowling's Latest

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:23:44 -0500

Former Getty Museum antiquities curator Marion True went on trial in Athens yesterday on charges she conspired over a decade ago to acquire for the museum an ancient gold funerary wreath.

After the Battle of Brooklyn: East River Incognita II "further examines [artist Duke Riley's] fascination with and exploration of maritime history and events around the waterways of New York City.

Michiko Kakutani on Oliver Sacks’ latest: "Could have benefited from some heavy-duty editing." But still:...

Rowling, Warner Bros. to Sue Over Potter Book

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:28:45 -0400

J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit at Manhattan federal court today over a book billed as an unofficial encyclopedic companion to the Harry Potter book series, according to Reuters. They claim the book infringes copyright and attempts to cash in on the successful series.

The 400-page book, titled the "The Harry Potter Lexicon," due to be released by RDR Books on November 28 in the United...

Report: Harry Potter Earned $150 M. in 24 Hours

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:19:19 -0400

Variety reports out an interesting take on the record-breaking sales of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

While the book and movie businesses are structured very differently, dollars the franchise generated domestically this weekend for its creator and distributor surpass what a studio might take in for a hit tentpole. Publishers typically sell books to wholesalers and retailers for a 40%-45% discount off the retail price, which means the Saturday sales alone could generate more...

The Five Worst Story Ideas for the New York Times Book Review Ever Concocted

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:33:49 -0400

From a list of five presumably serious story ideas by some clowns who call themselves INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONSULTING GROUP:"Is still New York the capital of the book publishing world? "The next Da Vinci Code: The leading best candidates" "The print book is dead. God save the printing book industry!" "Why young people read more books and less newspapers than ever" "Who is going to be the next Harry Potter according J. K....

Celebrity Roundup: Denzel, J.K. Rowling, and the Annenbergs

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 03:00:00 -0500

Denzel Washington could be moving closer to God: The actor is eyeing a $5.96 million apartment in the Novare--a church-to-condo conversion on West 4th Street. Also, J.K. Rowling is dropping $150,000 on her summer home in the Hamptons. (New York Post) The luxurious home of the late Evelyn Annenberg Jaffe Hall, at tony 640 Park, is now on the market for $27.5 million. Coincidentally, the co-op apartment in 740 Park that housed her...

The Secret of Harry Potter IV ? It Almost Blew Deadline

Sun, 02 Jul 2000 20:00:00 -0400

When fans of Harry Potter think back to the year 2000, they might remember it as the year of the big secret. For that was the year the media world serendipitously cast the fourth installment of the seven-part series as the Manhattan Project of the book publishing world.

But, according to insiders, the secrecy was less a matter of strategy than necessity. Until recently–April, by reliable accounts–the publishers were as in the dark about book...

Clicking Amazon: Latest Time Sink For Midlist Author

Sun, 24 Oct 1999 20:00:00 -0400

I was 18,506 this morning. To be more precise, the paperback edition of my recent novel Two Guys From Verona was ranked at that number on Amazon.com, the on-line bookseller. Since Amazon currently claims to have 4.7 million titles in stock, I felt delighted, braced, a little puffed up, even, to be way up there in the 18,000's-despite the fact that, to tell the truth, I have absolutely no idea what that number means in terms of raw sales....