J.K. Rowling's Potter Prequel Helps Set Book Record 8/8/08

Author J.K. Rowling's new Harry Potter tale has helped a new book to become the fastest-selling collection of short stories of all time in the U.K.

The writer penned an untitled prequel to her popular Potter series for What's Your Story?, a collection of 13 tales by authors including Tom Stoppard, Doris Lessing, Sebastian Faulks and Irvine Welsh. Rowling's 800-word story is set three years before the boy wizard's birth and focuses on Harry's father, James Potter, during his teenage years with his friend Sirius Black.

She signs off with the words: "From the prequel I am not working on - but that was fun!" Rowling released the final book in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, last year (07), although she is also set to release a small series of fairy tales from the last Potter novel, entitled The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in December (08).

What's Your Story? was released in Britain on Thursday (07Aug08), when it sold more than 10,000 copies - with some stores completely sold out within just a few hours.

The profits from the book will be donated to charities Dyslexia Action and English Pen, an organisation that aims to promote literature between different cultures.