Harry Potter fans can't wait for July 16th release

Though Harry Potter fans the world over are losing sleep while they wait for the big reveal, audio book devotees already have their answer. None of us know the identity of the Half-blood Prince, but we do know who will play him in the audio version; the man who brought the previous five books to life, Jim Dale.

No matter who the character turns out to be, hundreds of thousands of fans who have enjoyed the earlier titles on audio can trust that Dale will bring a distinctive and distinguished approach. He’s the sole performer for the more than 100 characters that have already appeared in the series.

Meanwhile, author J.K. Rowling is taking the rampant speculation in stride…she writes on her homepage, www.jkrowling.com, of the rumors and fake spoilers that pop up everywhere: “I have been alerted that I am supposed to have posted in the ‘comments’ section of a couple of different fan sites recently…Love you all though I do, I don’t really want to wake up tomorrow and have to download 21,956,038 new emails, all demanding the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.”

The previous five books comprise more than 2,000 pages of text in hardcover, and the new installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will bring that close to 3,000. Available exclusively on CD and cassette, the unabridged audio series will total 82 hours of listening time.

For the average commuter, who spends about an hour in the car each way, that represents more than three months of in-car entertainment. Not many busy professionals can afford to set aside 82 hours for Harry Potter, but subscribing to an audio book rental service makes reading the series easy and accessible.

No more paying for a hot new hardcover that will sit unread on the nightstand. No more feeling guilty about being too busy read. Just a few minutes online is all it takes to read more.

The Simply Audiobooks download club and unlimited rental service give you access to thousands of titles so you never have to worry about spending money on buying an audio book ever again. There are no delivery charges, no late fees and absolutely no hassles.

We deliver rental audio books anywhere in North America - right to your door… or you can download your audio books as Windows Media files directly to your computer.

Not ready to commit? Browse and buy specific audio books when you like. You can also download individual titles without joining our monthly club.