J.K. Rowling Announces 2016 Worldwide Signing Tour!
In what just may be the best news of the year (or of our lives!), J.K. Rowling has announced that in 2016 she will launch a worldwide signing tour! Signing tours differ from regular book tours because the touring author isn’t necessarily just promoting their most recent book release – they’re also taking time to visit with fans and sign books – lots and lots of them. Jo’s tour stands out because, in addition to making all of our dreams come true, she’ll also be raising money for various charitable causes. Although exact prices have yet to be released, it is being reported that access to Jo’s signing lines will be granted in exchange for donations to charities local to the communities where she’ll be holding her events.
As signed editions of Rowling’s works frequently sell for thousands of dollars, the tour is a clever move on Rowling’s part to both raise tons of money for charity and make signed copies of Harry Potter accessible to her legions of loyal fans. This is certainly not an unprecedented step – other authors, such as Neil Gaiman, frequently embark on tours such as this as a way to interact with their fans and ensure that book dealers can’t charge fans a small fortune just for their signature.
We’re eagerly awaiting more information about the tour but expect that she will be visiting major cities in the US and abroad. We’re willing to bet that it doesn’t matter much where she stops – Potterheads will travel as far as they have to for the chance to meet her. In 2016 we’ll see the release of the first Fantastic Beasts film, likely a new installment of the Cormoran Strike series, the premiere of the Potter play, and now – J.K. Rowling herself. One thing’s for sure – it’s going to be a magical year.