JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author, has signed a publishing deal with Little, Brown, to release her first ever novel for adults, in what is set to become one of the most anticipatedbook launches in years.

《哈利•波特》之母、英国著名女作家 J.K. 罗琳日前与小布朗出版社签约，准备出版她第一本为成年人写的书。罗琳的新书也将成为近年来最受期待的新书发布之一。

The deal means that Rowling's long-standing relationship with Bloomsbury, the London-based publisher that launched the Harry Potter books, has come to an end, at least in terms of new works by the author.

另一方面，罗琳与小布朗出版社的签约，也意味着她与伦敦的布鲁姆斯伯里出版社的长期合作关系结束，至少在新书发布上不会再合作。布鲁姆斯伯里出版社是哈利波特系列小说的发行商。

Rowling, who is worth an estimated ￡530 million, said that the new novel will be nothing like the Harry Potter series, which sold over 30 million copies in the UK alone. She said that with the move from children's to adult fiction, a move to a new publisher seemed like a logical step.

目前身价约5.3亿英镑的罗琳表示，新书和哈利波特系别完全不同。她的哈利波特系列创造了巨大成功，仅在英国就卖出3000万本。罗琳表示从儿童小说向成人小说转型，找一个新的发行商是情理之中的事情。

She said: "Although I've enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series. The freedom to explore new territoryis a gift that Harry's success has brought me."

她这样说道：虽然我很享受在哈利波特系列写作的点点滴滴，但我的新书跟哈利波特系列完全不同。可以去探索新的写作领域，这是哈利波特的成功带给我的礼物。

As soon as the deal was announced, speculation swirledaround Twitter about the book's content.

签约消息一发布，Twitter立即展开了关于新书内容的讨论。

Ian Rankin, the Edinburgh-based author whose highly-successful Rebus detective novels are also set in the city, suggested Rowling's book will be a crime novel.

来自爱丁堡的著名侦探小说家伊恩兰金，猜测罗琳的新书可能是犯罪小说。他的John Rebus侦探系列小说的故事设定也在爱丁堡。

"Wouldn't it be funny if J K Rowling's first novel for adults turned out to be a crime story set in Edinburgh? My word yes," he said.

他表示：要是罗琳的第一部成人小说是犯罪小说，故事也设定在爱丁堡，那就太有趣了！