J.K. Rowling Says Her Next Book Will Be For Children

Posted on October 12, 2012

During a webcast for Scholastic author J.K. Rowling revealed that her next book will most likely be for children. She also shared her thoughts on the enduring popularity of Harry Potter and when she first know she wanted to be a writer.

Jo was asked why she thinks Harry Potter has been so popular and what it is about the series that enchants so many readers of all ages. She responded, "I used to say -- because it's an easy answer -- that they should ask the readers, they know what they like.But over the years I have come to understand the appeal a little better.Primarily, people fell in love with the characters." She says people love the magical world, but it is the characters of Ron, Hermione and Harry that keep them coming back.

She also said that it was always her dream to write. She says she was not honest about that, because her parents thought being a writer was not a stable career. So she kept it to herself, but since she was six years old she was determined to be an author. She wrote her first story at the age of six and says that the fact that she actually finished it was what marked her as someone who was serious about writing (she says the story was terrible, though).

Rowling told her fans that her next book would most likely be a children's book. She explained, "The next thing I publish is likely to be a book for children. The reason, I�m not committing myself wholeheartedly, is because after fifteen years of being a writer for Harry Potter, where you would say something and someone would cease on it and say, 'You are definitely doing that now.' And you kind of thought you weren't allowed to change your mind. And it got a little intense, so I try not to commit myself with my plan. So I'm not 100 percent sure about doing it, but I think it will be a book slightly more for children."

Rowling told her young fans that her next book would most likely be a children's book. She explained, "The next thing I publish is likely to be a book for children. The reason, I'm not committing myself wholeheartedly, is because after fifteen years of being a writer for Harry Potter, where you would say something and someone would cease on it and say, 'You are definitely doing that now.' And you kind of thought you weren't allowed to change your mind. And it got a little intense, so I try not to commit myself with my plan. So I'm not 100% sure about doing it, but I think it will be a book slightly more for children."

The webcast was in support of the new website, The Harry Potter Reading Club. The new website is all about Harry Potter and provides an interactive experience for fans. More than one million Harry Potter fans tuned into the webcast which you can see here.