Fifth Book

[A.E.B.Bevan at open.ac.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 25252

My own speculations and take on the Fifth Book timetable

Agree that time pressures from the film (and the Comic Relief 
booklets) add up to shorter writing time. To say nothing of all the 
publicity event calls on her time.

Suspect that GoF came closer that Jo will admit at present to coming 
apart in the writing due to publication deadline pressures. Not a 
mistake she will agree to make again I suspect. Remember that she 
actually wrote most of the first three texts before the Great Hype so 
book 4 was probably her first experience of writing under goldfish- 
bowl time pressure and her publishers jumping up and down behind her 
waving their arms like Hermione trying to answer a question in class. 

She didn't actually agree to *publish* all seven books at yearly 
intervals as a real-time tracking of a Hogwarts career did she?  
(Genuine question).

Suspect also that she is writing substantial parts of books 6 and 7 
at the same time as book 5, making sure that long term plot threads 
are properly linked in. So maybe 6 and 7 will eventually come out at 
a more regular timetable even if the CoS film puts more demands on 
her time.

She may also ( I do hope so) have some more 'Comic Relief' style 
booklets on the stocks. If so these could be Christmas offerings... 
good stocking fillers!  I have already said that a Muggle Studies 
textbook could help show some of the 'rules' she is working to and 
satisfy some of us LOONS and apprentices thereof.  

>From a marketing point of view it makes sense NOT to launch the new 
book in the immediate wake of the film. If it 'takes' in the public 
conscience there will be a surge of buying for the existing books. A 
new book at that time could absorb some of the cash otherwise spent 
on the existing series. I suspect her publishers have taken this as a 
strategic decision which shows they are confident that Book 5 will 
not need tie-in publicity to succeed

Jo may also be slightly concerned on the "Children's books" issue. We 
know she has her plans and won't budge. However the PS/SS film 
publicity and merchandising (cuddly Norberts, Macdonalds Hoopla, 
posters, dressing up kits  and all) will firmly set the series into 
the children's market in the public mind, especially for the many who 
will be drawn into the Potterverse for the first time. If Book 5 
comes out in the middle of that and does indeed start to push forward 
the maturity of some of the material and perceptions then that could 
cause particular problems. Better to launch the book six months or so 
later so that its weight and complexity can be discussed in its own 
right.

Bottom line. I am expecting a Summer or Autumn 2002 launch for book 5 
assuming that the CoS Film doesn't launch until Christmas 2002. If 
the text for Book 5 is complete about now and ready to go to 
production editing  very soon  then spring 2002 is a possibility 
maybe but not before.

Edis Bevan