Book 12 of The Wheel of Time will be a trilogy

Stretching it out just a little bit more, Tor Books has announced that the final volume of Robert Jordan's massive Wheel of Time series—A Memory of Light, which is being co-written by Brandon Sanderson (see this article for details on the posthumous collaboration)—will appear as a trilogy. Volume one of the three books making up the final volume will be titled The Gathering Storm, and will be published on 3 November 2009. The second and third volumes will appear over a two-year period.

Harriet McDougal, Jordan's widow and editor, expanded on the announcement, saying "The scope and size of the novel was such that it could not be contained in a single volume. It was a piece of marvelous good fortune that Brandon Sanderson undertook the work. He is a great pleasure to work with, as well as a wonderful writer."

Tor Books President and Publisher Tom Doherty said "It is a magnificent closure to a great American epic fantasy whose journey began almost twenty years ago. There is no way Robert Jordan would have squeezed it to a single volume, and somehow it seems fitting that what began as a trilogy will also end as one."

McDougal talks more about the decision to expand the last book into three in this interview; Sanderson discusses it at length in this post; and Tor's press release is posted here.

Tor also announced that the first ever JordanCon will be 17-19 April 2009 in Alpharetta, Georgia. Harriet McDougal, Tom Doherty, Brandon Sanderson, and other members of "Team Jordan" are expected to attend as featured guests. The convention "will also include a special preview of The Gathering Storm."