J.K. Rowling: 'Help preserve the secrecy' of Harry Potter

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN/AP: Rowling: 'Help preserve the secrecy' of Potter


As the release date of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" nears, leaks are appearing.

Despite pleas for silence from author J.K. Rowling and some leading Potter fan sites, publishing's secret of all secrets -- whether the wizard lives or dies -- is in danger of becoming plain gossip as publication approaches for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

"As launch night looms, let's all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press on the plot of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,"' Rowling wrote in a message posted Wednesday on her Web site, http://www.jkrowling.com/.

"I'd like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day. In a very short time you will know EVERYTHING!"

Alleged images of Rowling's seventh and final Potter book have already been circulating online days before the official July 21 release. More than 100 actual books may already have been received by customers. As of Wednesday morning, the $34.99 release was being offered on eBay, for immediate purchase, for $250.

"That's right -- I've got one copy of Harry Potter 7, on July 17, and it can be yours as soon as July 19. Hurry! Confirmed payment by 6:30PM on July 18 will ensure delivery on July 19 by FedEx Priority Overnight!" read a message from a seller identified as "willpc" and based in Atlanta.

"I don't work for a bookstore, and I don't have a magic wand -- an online store shipped a copy early."...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/07/18/books.potter.onebay.ap/index.html

[Harper_is_Bush]

1. I wish that woman would just go away. She's become quite full of herself and her precious books.

[murielm99]

4. Oh, come on.

Nobody likes spoilers. Why should this be any different?

[daninthemoon]

2. She has to squeeze out every last penny.

[emilyg]

3. My grandson loves her.

[regnaD kciN]

5. "Alleged" images...???

So, is anyone suggesting that someone wrote up their own complete alternate version of HP7, had it professionally typeset, printed, and hardbound to look exactly like the other books in the series, then photographed each page and posted them to the Internet?

:wtf:

Oh, I suppose it could happen, but there'd be one prankster with way too much time on his or her hands.

[NYdemocrat089]

6. I just took a look at the pictures of the stolen DH copy on USA Today.

I was looking at the text (it's just the first page, so I figured it wouldn't hurt), and I realized that along the inside flap of the book there is no book summary. I checked all my other Harry Potter books, and each of them, when opened, shows part of the inside-flap summary on the side...but this stolen copy does not. This really makes me think it is fake, but I might be wrong.

Here's the picture (don't look at it if you don't want to see the possible first page) from USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2007-07-18-potter-leaks_N.htm

(Edited for spelling)

[Vogon_Glory]

8. Rowlings Could Have Had So Much Fun With Spoilers

Rowlings could have had such fun with would-be internet "spoilers." Imagine a wildly-popular author writing fake chapters for his or her forthcoming book and leaving files containing those chapters here and there on publishing-house and printers' computers where they'd likely be found by hackers. Multiple sites around the net would then announce that they've got copies of parts of the "authentic" manuscript. The web and the corporate media could have raised a hub-bub about the "leaks." Then the author could have revealed the hoax before the book actually comes out.

I doubt it would much hurt book sales very much. The rubes who downloaded the fakes would learn that they've probably got fakes. Readers would still be kept guessing, and hard-core fans would still want to read the story through.

[Book Lover]

9. It is not fake

I am reading the uploaded images (yeah, going to hell...) and that one in the article is from the book. I think it's some kind of library edition: if you look closely at the image, you'll see tape holding the two foot-ends of the cover flaps together.

[Vogon_Glory]

7. Would a Sneak Peak of the First Two Chapters REALLY Hurt?

Would a sneak peak of the first two or three chapters of The Deathly Hallows really hurt book sales, Ms. Rowlings? Very, very few people buy books just to read the first couple of chapters; they buy books to read them all of the way through. They buy them for the plot, to find out what happens to the characters, to see how the characters "grow" (Or get killed off), or sometimes just for the language or the imagery.

I don't expect to be able to get MY copy of The Deathly Hallows until sometime in August. A sneak peak at the first part would have been a wonderful way to allow those of us who are looking forward to reading The Deathly Hallows to whet our appetite for the day that we can get our own copies.

[rep the dems]

10. It's not just the first few chapters that people are revealing.

Some people are posting the names of every character that dies and on what page they die. Others are revealing plot details too.

[rep the dems]

11. I don't see what everyone's complaining about. Yes, she wants to

sell a lot of copies but she also doesn't want people revealing important details to people who want to read the book. What's wrong with that?