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Bloomsbury Plans to Celebrate 20th “Potter” Anniversary

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Last October saw the release of the first Jim Kay-illustrated Harry Potter. The next in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is due to be released this coming October. The first in the series has already sold over 94,000 copies in the UK.

In the lead-up to the release of the second illustrated book and following the second successful Harry Potter Book Night on February 4, Bloomsbury UK has revealed its upcoming Potter plans. With the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone looming in 2017, plenty of plans are in place to celebrate this exciting anniversary. Special Hogwarts House editions of the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone/Philosopher’s Stone, will be published in 2017 to coincide with the anniversary.

The plans also include ways of celebrating the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, which is due to be released this coming November. An updated version of the school textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, originally published in 2001, will be released early 2017. The new edition will contain new content from J.K. Rowling.

Bloomsbury also plans to publish illustrated editions of the Hogwarts Library books, and the releases will be staggered from 2017.

Bloomsbury will commission three new illustrators to create lavish, full-colour illustrated editions of J.K. Rowling’s three Hogwarts Library books, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in autumn 2017, The Tales of Beedle the Bard in 2018 and Quidditch Through the Ages in 2019. Illustrator announcements will follow in due course.

See the press release below for full information about Bloomsbury’s Potter plans.

Whom would you like to illustrate the Hogwarts Library books? Which of these special editions are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!

Press Release

Harry Potter brand strategy delivers magical sales for Bloomsbury

Harry Potter sales for publisher Bloomsbury were up 126% in 2015 on the prior year (TCM Nielsen Bookscan UK) following a programme of major initiatives, including relaunched children’s editions of J.K. Rowling’s bestselling series in 2014; the first ever Harry Potter Book Night; and publication of a stunning new illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, with extraordinary colour artwork from Jim Kay, which has sold over 94,000 (UK Nielsen TCM) copies. The Illustrated Edition ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will be released in October 2016 and is part of a major publishing programme of over ten Harry Potter projects to be published by Bloomsbury.

The opening of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II is expected to further boost sales of the original books. Bloomsbury has a rolling plan of publishing and marketing initiatives throughout the year and into 2017 when the first book in the Harry Potter series will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Following on from news of the release of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Bloomsbury announces it is publishing a brand new edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, to include new content from J.K. Rowling, in early 2017.

In addition, Bloomsbury will commission three new illustrators to create lavish, full-colour illustrated editions of J.K. Rowling’s three Hogwarts Library books, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in autumn 2017, The Tales of Beedle the Bard in 2018 and Quidditch Through the Ages in 2019. Illustrator announcements will follow in due course.

To tie in with the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in June 2017 Bloomsbury will be publishing four special editions of the first book in the series, their liveries representing each of the four Hogwarts houses.  Bloomsbury will also be running a programme of activities and celebrations throughout the year to mark the landmark anniversary.

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