The translated version will come out more than three months after the book's official worldwide release date of June 21.

While impatient Harry Potter fans in China might feel three months is too long to wait, it is a quick turnaround time for Chinese publishers.

The People's Literature Publishing House in Beijing, which published the previous Harry Potter books in China, has purchased the copyright for the new volume. But it will not receive a copy of the book before June 21, to ensure no pirated versions start circulating before the book's release date.

In the following 100 days, the Chinese publisher will have to translate the book, print and distribute it before it can reach readers.

According to its spokesman Sun Shunlin, the company will try its best to make the latest volume available during the National Day holiday.

The new book runs to 38 chapters and 255,000 words -- more than one-third longer than the fourth book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The Harry Potter books, which tell the story of a young sorcerer, have achieved phenomenal success in the publishing world.

The series has sold about 80 million hardback and paperback copies in the United States and 192 million worldwide.

It has been published in 55 languages. And the movie that was adapted from the first book took US$968 million in box office receipts worldwide -- second only to Titanic.

In China, Harry Potter also has a legion of fans. On the Chinese mainland alone, the series has sold more than 5 million copies.

Sun said his company is taking orders for the new Harry Potter online, and has received 130,000 requests to date. The latest volume is expected to achieve a new sales record for the firm.

(China Daily June 10, 2003)