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March 11th 2008

Third-Party Harry Potter Encyclopedia To Cut Into Rowling’s Charity Plans?

Stupefy!

Filed under: books, campaigns — michael @ 1:23 pm

There’s a battle going down over the world of Harry Potter, and this one is taking place in a location more terrifying than the deepest recesses of Azkaban. That’s right, the US Court system.

JK Rowling and Co. have submitted an injunction against Michigan-based publisher, RDR Books, to prevent publication of the Harry Potter Lexicon, an A-Z guide to all things Hogwarts. On March 24th, a NY-based court will consider the case and potentially make history over how an author control secondary works, as well as the right to publish in book form that which already resides on the web. The information for the Lexicon is being derived from an online fan site that compiles and keeps track of all HP facts and oddities.

Even more damaging, however, is the fact that releasing such an unauthorized piece of the Harry Potter universe might cut into Rowling’s future charity plans. From the article,

“Warner Bros and Rowling argue that the publication of the Lexicon infringes Rowling’s copyright and that she has openly and repeatedly expressed her interest in publishing an encyclopedia covering all seven of the Harry Potter books, whose profits would go to charity.”

Unlike the handwritten companion pieces she auctioned off earlier for record amounts, this Rowling-penned encyclopedia would be served up fresh to the millions of fans worldwide. The charity-generating potential of this release would be staggering to say the least. Defendents of the alternative Lexicon argue that people would buy Rowling’s version regardless, but her lawyers aren’t letting that hold sway on their decision to fight its release. This should be an interesting court battle to say the least. Anyone want to get dressed up and sit in the audience?

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December 13th 2007

Harry Potter Book Magically Raises $3.9 Million For Charity

Filed under: books, donations — michael @ 2:39 pm

It was expected to only sell for about $100,000. However, much like magical world from whence it came from, JK Rowling’s limited edition handwritten book defied all expectations. At an auction at Sotheby’s today, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” fetched almost $4 million dollars. That price broke a number of records as the highest price ever achieved at auction for a modern literary manuscript, an auction record for a work by J.K. Rowling, and an auction record for a children’s book. The buyer, London art agent Hazlitt, Gooden and Fox, now has one of only seven copies of the illustrated work. From the article,

“The standing-room-only crowd at Sotheby’s auction house applauded as bidding topped the 1 million pound ($2 million) mark. The money will benefit The Children’s Voice, a charity co-founded in 2005 by Rowling and Baroness Nicholson, a member of Britain’s House of Lords. Rowling, 42, watched the auction on the Web from her home in Edinburgh, Scotland, and said she was ecstatic. ‘This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help,” she said in a statement. ‘It means Christmas has come early to me.’”

What a fantastic outcome. As we mentioned earlier, the book contains five fairy tales given to Potter character Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore in the final book of the series, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. Said Rowling, “‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say goodbye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years.”

November 21st 2007

Secret Harry Potter Book To Benefit Children’s Charity

Shhhh...

Filed under: books, campaigns — michael @ 12:02 pm

Author JK Rowling has written a not-so-secret companion piece to the Harry Potter series that’s set to go under the auction block at London’s Sotheby’s on December 13. Titled The Tales Of Beedle The Bard, the book contains five fairy tales given to Potter character Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore in the final book of the series, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

Only ten copies were created — handwritten and illustrated by Rowling — and each is different in some way from the other. Additionally, they are all bound in leather and decorated with silver ornaments and moonstones. Proceeds from the auction (with a starting bid of $100,000) will go to benefit The Children’s Voice campaign; a charity Rowling established to help vulnerable children.

I love the exclusivity of this book — but why not just make it a commercial companion piece to the series? I’m sure it would generate millions that could benefit a hundred different charities. Chances are, that’s exactly what will eventually happen. The good news is you’ll be able to view the full copy online before the auction starting December 9th.