Rowling for Adults

Fans of J.K. Rowling in Sweden and Norway no longer need to worry about the debut of the author’s first novel for adults: Wahlström & Widstrand in Sweden and Cappelen Damm in Norway have announced they’ve acquired the respective rights to The Casual Vacancy. The book will be coming out later in the fall this year in both countries. Carlsen Verlag and Ullstein Buchverlage earlier announced they will be publishing the German-language edition.

“One of the challenges will be making sure it’s clear that J.K. Rowling is writing in a new genre,” says Åsa Selling, editorial director at Wahlström & Widstrand, which is part of Bonnierförlagen. “We’re convinced that her fans will be following her, many of them are now grown up and are ready for an adult novel. Or they’re like me, they’ve gotten to know her via their children. I’m your typical J.K. Rowling admirer, who The Casual Vacancy is written for.”

Rowling’s seven Harry Potter books have been translated into 74 languages, distributed in more than 200 countries and sold over 450 million copies, as well as served as the basis for eight hit films. Rowling has received a wide range of prizes and recognition for her work with children’s literature, including the Order of the British Empire, the Prince of Asturias Award, the French Légion d’Honneur and the Hans Christian Andersson medal, among others.

“It’s going to be a great adventure, both for the editorial and marketing departments,” says Selling. “What’s most exciting is that this kind of book will involve the entire publishing house,” she says.