U.S. Harry Potter publisher Scholastic will release the paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on July 25, 2006. On August 1 and 2, Rowling will appear with Stephen King and John Irving in "An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp" at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Both evenings will feature King, Irving, and Rowling reading selections from their own works, surprise guests, and an audience question and answer session; and each will benefit two non-profit organizations: the Haven Foundation, which helps performing artists whose accidents or illnesses have left them uninsured and unable to work; and Doctors Without Borders.
UPDATE
Though Rowling didn't reveal anything about book 7 at the Queen's birthday bash, today in an interview broadcast on Britain's Channel 4 she did leak a bit. "The final chapter is hidden away, although it's now changed very slightly. One character got a reprieve, but I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die," she said. "I'm not going to commit myself, because I don't want the hate mail or anything else," she added.
She said she understood the urge to keep a main character like Harry to herself. "I've never been tempted to kill him (Harry) off before the end of book seven, because I always planned seven books and that's where I want to go.
"I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks, 'Well, I'm going to kill them off because that means there can be no non-author-written sequels ... so it will end with me, and after I'm dead and gone they won't be able to bring back the character'."
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
"An Evening With Harry, Carrie and Garp" sounds very cool. I wonder how Rowling feels about Harry Potter's very brief mention near the end of the Dark Tower series (as part of the uber-meta narrative of that epic quest of a tale).
2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I agree with Eric about the evening with John Irving and - well I could do without Stephen King. But I learned an awful lot from John Irving. And Jo Rawling has improved my boys' English as well as their perspective on the world...
It's a shame that Doctors Without Borders will benefit, IMHO. They've shafted us here enough. But that's life...
3 - Eric Olsen
I'm certain their show will do quite well - especially with the Q&A part with the audience