JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author, has signed a deal with Little, Brown and Company, to publish her first ever novel for adults, which is set to become one of the most anticipated (期望的) book in years.
The deal means that Rowling’s long-standing relationship with Bloomsbury, the London-based publisher that launched (发行) the Harry Potter books, has come to an end, at least in terms of new works by the author.
Rowling is keeping her fans guessing about the characters and plot of her new book. She only said that the new novel will be nothing like the Harry Potter series, which was sold over 30 million copies in the UK alone. She thought that with the move from children’s to adult fiction, a switch to a new publisher seemed like a natural and reasonable step.
She said, "Although I've enjoyed writing it every bit as much, this book will be very different from the Harry Potter series. The freedom to explore a new field is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me."
Ian Rankin, the Edinburgh-based author whose highly-successful detective novels are also set in the city, suggested Rowling’s book will be a crime novel.
"Wouldn’t it be funny if JK Rowling’s first novel for adults turned out to be a crime story set in Edinburgh?" he said.
Industry insiders guessed that the deal is worth more than ￡5 million and the new book is expected to come out later this year.
A spokesman said, "JK Rowling’s audience is vast and her position is unique. Harry Potter books were a global success and her fans are very loyal. Children that were eight, nine, or ten when the books first came out in the 1990s are now in their 20s. Plenty of adults, loved the books regardless of whether they had children, so the potential market for her is huge."
小题1:What does the text mainly tell us?
A．JK Rowling has signed a deal with a new publisher.
B．JK Rowling's new book will be more successful than her Harry Potter series.
C．JK Rowling’s first book for adults will be published later this year.
D．JK Rowling has to switch to a new publisher in order to publish her new book.小题2:JK Rowling’s new book for adults .
A．has been sold 30 million copies in the UK alone
B．is poorly thought of by the London-based publisher Bloomsbury
C．has nothing in common with the Harry Potter series
D．is expected to bring her more money than the Harry Potter series小题3:The author used Ian Rankin’s words in order to .
A．tell us that some famous novelists offer to give Rowling some advice
B．show that many readers are curious about Rowling’s new book
C．tell us that many readers prefer to read detective or crime novels
D．prove that a crime story set in Edinburgh is sure to be successful小题4:We can learn from the text that .
A．Little, Brown and Company is specialized in publishing adult books
B．the author has no doubt about the success of Rowling’s new book
C．JK Rowling will be a crime novelist as good as Ian Rankin
D．it was in Edinburgh that Ian Rankin got to know JK Rowling