Half Baked

J.K. Rowling has handed the manuscript for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic. No details about length, but Rowling claims it will be shorter than Order of the Phoenix.

There are a few details, which are unsurprisingly not spoilery, on Rowling's official site. Examples are some chapter titles; Chapter 2: Spinners End; Chapter 6: Draco's Detour; Chapter 14: Felix Felicis; and that one of her characters will not survive (more).

Expect to see it on shelves around the world on July 16 2005. Borders and Barnes & Noble (London) both said they would sell the book at a discount of 40 percent off the recommended cover price if readers reserve a copy before July 16. Lets hope they can beat Big W's price.

In only 24 hours interest in the book has sparked it to rocket to the top of 'most wanted' and 'hot' lists. It is number #1 best seller at Amazon.com and Barns & Nobles.com.