Today, J. K. Rowling’s newest book, The Casual Vacancy, is available on bookstore shelves and as an e-book. The popular author of the Harry Potter series already has a hit on her hands as the book enters the market with more than 1 million pre-orders, according to Daily News & Analysis.
The novel is a departure for Rowling. With adult themes, including sex and drug abuse, the popular children’s author considered publishing the book anonymously but ultimately decided not to do so, reports The New York Daily News.
The biggest question for booksellers, however, is whether Rowling’s new work can take on the wildly popular Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels by fellow British author E. L. James. The three books currently hold three of the top five spots on The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) best-seller list.
While the Harry Potter books were transformed into a very successful movie franchise distributed by Warner Bros. (NYSE:TWX), there is yet no word on whether The Casual Vacancy will be filmed.
Rowling’s new book is available for all major e-readers including Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad, Amazon‘s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle, and Barnes & Noble‘s (NYSE:BKS) Nook.
Other related InvestorPlace articles:
J.K. Rowling Announces the Title of First Post-Potter Book
