Release Date for OOP: Speculation

[serenadust]

No: HPFGUIDX 35426

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny & Bryce <pennylin at s...> wrote:

> 
> 1.  The release date of July 8th for GoF was confirmed in a 
Scholastic 
> press release on March 26th (roughly 3.5 mths beforehand in other 
> words).  Rumors regarding the impending summer release of GoF had 
been 
> circulating prior to March 26th.
> 
>(some snippage)
> 
> 3.  IMO, there have been no trustworthy press reports that JKR has 
even 
> completed OOP or that release is in any way imminent.  We've heard 
> everything ranging from Feb 2002 (obviously not happening) to 
Spring 
> 2003.  It does not appear to me that there is any reliable basis 
for 
> speculating at this point.  I think this is a sufficiently big 
enough 
> deal that we will have reasonably solid press confirmation when 
the 
> final editing is going on and when an announcement of a solid 
release 
> date is imminent.
> 

In addition to all of Penney's points above, I'd like to add that 
sometime in the last month or so there was a press item indicating 
that JKR had not agreed to formally sign with Scholastic to publish 
book 5. I don't have the exact article at hand but I'm sure I read 
it in the Leaky Cauldron.  The gist of it was that Scholastic was 
quite concerned about continuing their relationship with Rowling and 
finally had to ask if they could "assume" that they would be 
publishing book 5.  They were told (not very reassuringly) that for 
the time being they could continue to assume this, but I've not 
heard anything to indicate that an agreement was reached.  It seems 
to me that the contract between JKR and Scholastic would have to be 
ironed out before any speculation on when book 5 will appear can be 
considered valid.

Jo Serenadust