Product Update

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 18 July 2005 18 July 2005 BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING Plc FIRST 24 HOUR SALES IN THE UK OF HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE Bloomsbury Publishing Plc announced today that sales of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince have been exceptional and, according to Nielsen BookScan, the independent book trade monitoring service, 2,009,574 copies were sold in the first 24 hours in the UK. This represents a 13% increase on the comparable figure for first day sales of the previous title, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in July 2003 of 1,777,541. The initial sales are in line with the Group's expectations and AGM statement on 30 June. In addition to the good start to the launch of the sixth and latest Harry Potter book, which is benefiting from the significant marketing campaign undertaken by Bloomsbury, previous titles in the series are also benefiting from the new launch. Ends Enquiries: Tim Spratt/Charles Palmer Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange