You must admit that the character’s name is a bit of a give away - it doesn’t take a huge stretch of the imagination to rhyme Tanya Grotter with Harry Potter! However Grotter has been a huge hit in Russia, and the author Dmitry Yemets freely admits that the character started as a parody of Harry Potter, but argues that over time, she has grown into a character all her own.

Since Harry Potter is protected under copyright, a lawsuit has been filed by JK and US Time Warner Entertainment and is proceeding in an Amsterdam court of law. The ruling will decide whether or not other publishing houses pick up the books. The jury is still out on this one. (Not any longer - JK won. Well, she would wouldn’t she? - November)

Green Harry - 09/10/03
JK Rowling wants her next Harry Potter book to be printed on environmentally friendly paper, as they are using up so many trees.

Approx 6.5 million trees have been pulped into paper to satisfy the growing demand for Harry Potter books - go, on, have a think about how many trees that is - about 640 acres!

JK has now guaranteed that her sixth Harry Potter book will be printed either on recycled or on "ancient forest-friendly" paper, which is sourced from sustainable planted forests. Other authors such as Andy McNab, Philip Pullman and Ben Elton have also pledged to support the environment by using recycled paper.

Potter’s magical touch! - 10/09/03
Bloomsbury publishing Plc has revealed that its first-half profits have risen 2% thanks to the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series.

The book The Order Of The Phoenix has helped push the company’s profits by 14% pre-tax to ?3.56m in the six months to the end of June, on a turnover of ?29m, up 18%.

Bloomsbury has denied being a one-product publisher, saying the profit figures were little influenced by the fifth Harry Potter title, The Order of The Phoenix, published on June 21. They also published 739 other books in the same year.

JK’s fortune - 23/06/03
JK Rowling must be sitting back in her chair with relief, as sales of Harry Potter 5 soar higher than a broomstick at a Quidditch match.

Were you queuing outside a book shop at midnight on Friday? Did you dash down to the book-store on Saturday morning, eager to get your hands on a crisp new Potter book? You are not alone if your answers are yes, as copies of the book disappeared off the shelves at a rate of 500 a minute during the first hour it was on sale.

This book is set to be the fastest selling book in British history, with JK Rowling is estimated to have made ?30 million this weekend alone. Just close your eyes and picture that for a moment. ?30 million! That is an awful lot of galleons and sickets.


Rowling to sue US paper - 19/06/03
JK Rowling has launched legal action against a US newspaper after it supposedly published a preview of the new Harry Potter book on the internet.

JK’s lawyers said they were suing the paper for allegedly posting details of the eagerly-awaited fifth novel about the boy wizard on its internet edition.

"American lawyers are today filing a suit for damages in respect of the US print publication, and together we are coordinating an immediate legal response," the lawyers said in a statement.