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'Jumping back onto the ship'

5 March 2012

'How could the author who had cut out ALL the middle-men with the invention of Pottermore, jump back onto the ship she appeared to have left aground? The answer is relatively simple, but one often neglected in a world of Kindle-mania. Rowling wants the new book to be a success: and success is not just measured in units sold. She will want the book to be well-edited, beautifully produced, expertly marketed, and distributed fluidly worldwide. She'll want its release orchestrated, reviewers to be primed, retailers to be charmed, and the public to be persuaded to buy it. She'll want pirated versions taken down. And afterwards, she will probably want to lift a glass of champagne with her publisher (and agent), and toast a job well done.

None of this happens by magic.'

Philip Jones, Futurebook, the Bookseller