The writer JK Rowling has delivered the eagerly expected sixth Harry Potter novel to her publishers - several days earlier than they had hoped.

The book was expected on Christmas Day but arrived four days ahead of schedule. It is set to be published on July 16, 2005 in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

It has been a long wait for Ms Rowling's young fans since the fifth book, The Order Of The Phoenix, came out in June 2003. Originally she planned to publish one book a year, to correspond with the seven years that her fictional hero spends at the magical academy of Hogwarts, but that timetable has been derailed by her growing family.

Ms Rowling was pregnant with her second child, David, when she started writing Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince early last year, and is now expecting her third baby.

On December 10 she wrote on her website: "I have been spending nearly all my time sitting in front of my computer writing, re-writing and taking the occasional break to bang my head off the desk in frustration or else rub my hands together in fiendish glee (I think the latter has happened once).

"Meanwhile, the distance between the keyboard and yours truly increases day by day as my third child races Harry's next adventure into the world. I will soon need extendable fingers to type."

Ms Rowling has revealed that one of her characters will be killed off in the new book - but given no hints as to their identity. Fans can be reassured that the schoolboy wizard himself is safe.

A few clues have emerged as to the new book's plot. Writing on her website Ms Rowling also assures fans that the half-blood prince of the title is neither Harry, the hero, nor Lord Voldemort, the villain, of the uniquely successful series.

Ms Rowling’s UK publisher Bloomsbury said: "We are pleased to announce that JK Rowling has completed Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the Harry Potter series, and that it has been delivered to Bloomsbury. The publication date will be announced later today."

Shares in Bloomsbury surged seven per cent to a new all-time high of 294p after the announcement. Sales of Harry Potter titles have provided the company with a significant boost in the past, although in September the company said the absence of a new release by Ms Rowling this year had held back its annual rise in profits to 4.5% at £3.7 million.

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