Yes, and Amazon.com has said it will sell the book for about $20. They also said they don't mind taking a loss on it because they're hoping people will order other books as well. I think it's a wonderful marketing concept that other would do well to copy. As for the actual final book, I really can't speculate about it. As others have mentioned, I think Rowling deserves every penny. I only wish I had half of her imagination and attention to details. The ability to create a whole world and inhabit it with such complex characters. I've said on other sites that I wish they could've done the movies consecutively as the Lord of the Rings series were done. But, since there's seven books, and she's only finishing the last, that wasn't even a possibility. What might've helped the series is if they could've at least had the same director, but maybe there were creative differences. I wish Dumbledore wasn't killed either, but who knows...maybe a resurrection spell? As for Snape, Alan Rickman is a marvelous choice...greasy hair and all...and I think he's just pure evil. I've read the books, seen the movies, and can't wait, but don't want HP and friends to die. I've been to the Leaky Cauldron, MuggleNet, and Potterish.com. Everyone's got an opinion or point of view. I know from what I've seen that three key characters are going to, well, you know. BTW, jkrowling.com is a nice site, too. She restored my desire to read more than just magazines and newspapers. Thanks, JK!