Publisher Bloomsbury is pinning its hopes on a biography of billionaire investor Warren Buffet, as it posted a 38.5 per penny increase in profits for the first half.
Pre-tax profit reached �5.4 1000000 for the first six months compared to �3.9 meg in 2007, according to Bloomsbury.
The Harry Potter publishing firm said it had a strong list of titles for the second half, including Alice Schroeder's biography of Warren Buffet, The Snowball; Just Me by Sheila Hancock; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.
Bloomsbury will also publish JK Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard ? a collection of short stories first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - on December 4th.
Gross gain fell compared to last year by 11 per cent following the terminal instalment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
However, strong gross revenue of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns light-emitting diode to a good carrying out for the group's UK adult division.
Nigel Newton, chief executive, aforementioned: "As well as chronic to enjoy notable success from long-running bestselling titles such as The Kite Runner, we are likewise well positioned with strong publishing lists for the second half and beyond.
"We ar now seeing the benefits of our focused strategy, which is positioning us well for the rest of the financial year and the longer term."
Bloomsbury increased its interim dividend by 7.1 per cent to 0.75p.
The publisher is positive in its outlook and said its cash position has been strong with �53.8 million of cash on deposit, enabling it to take advantage of opportunities for troupe and al-Qur'an acquisitions.
Current trading remains in line with our expectations, Bloomsbury said.
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