Date announced for next Harry Potter book

The eagerly awaited fifth instalment of Harry Potter will hit bookshelves on June 21, it was announced today.

The next JK Rowling novel about the boy wizard – possibly the world’s biggest publishing phenomenon – is to be called Harry Potter And The Order of the Phoenix.

It will be even longer than the last at 255,000 words.

Goblet Of Fire, the fourth Potter outing, was 191,000 words.

Goblet of Fire became the fastest selling book in history on the first weekend of its publication in July 2000.

It sold 372,000 copies in hardback in the UK during its first weekend in the shops.

Each of the four books so far have been number one in the bestseller lists and have dominated end-of-year sales charts.

Again, the book will be published in a children’s edition and with a cover which will appeal more to adults.

Lesley Miles of book retailer Waterstone’s said today: “With the amount of interest and excitement surrounding Harry Potter, we expect the interest in advance reservations to be enormous.

“It’s been a couple of years since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was first published and we know Harry’s fans can’t wait to get a copy of the new volume.”

Since the publication of the last book Rowling married Doctor Neil Murray in a Boxing Day ceremony in 2001.

They are expecting a child in the spring.

Rowling already has a daughter Jessica from a brief marriage. The writer split from Portuguese Jorges Arantes shortly after the birth.