Joanne Rowling CH OBE FRSL, also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote Harry Potter, a seven-volume children’s fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007.
J.K. Rowling net worth
| Net Worth: | $1 Billion |
| Date of Birth: | 1965-07-31 |
| Gender: | Female |
| Height: | 5 ft 4 in (1.65 m) |
| Profession: | Writer, Author, Novelist, Film Producer |
| Nationality: | United Kingdom |
Early Life
Joanne (“JK”) Rowling was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England on July 31, 1965. Growing up, she would write fantasy short fiction stories and read them to her sister Dianne. She has stated that her childhood years were unhappy, citing a strained relationship with her father and her mother’s ongoing health battles with multiple sclerosis. She has said that she based the character of Hermione Granger off herself at the age of 11. After JK graduated from the University of Exeter, where she studied French and Classics, she moved to Porto, Portugal to become an English teacher.
Personal Life
Rowling married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes in 1992, and had a child (Jessica) on July 27, 1993 in Portugal. The couple separated on November 17, 1993, and Rowling and her daughter moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. JK was a self-described broke, struggling single mother on welfare the entire time she worked on the first “Harry Potter” installment. During this period, she struggled with depression and contemplated suicide. She married anesthetist David Murray in 2001, and the couple has two children, along with Jessica from her previous marriage. They live in Edinburgh, London, and Aberfeldy, Scotland. Rowling’s mother, Anne, lost her ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis in December 1990. Anne’s death heavily influenced JK’s writing, as she channeled her grief by diving into the character of Harry and how he dealt with loss.
J.K. Rowling Highlights
J.K. Rowling has written plenty of books to suit children and teens as well as adults. She has produced the Harry Potter film series. She has tried her hand at young adult fiction and fantasy drama too. But Harry Potter remains her best venture to date.
Career
In early 1995, J.K. Rowling completed her first book of the Harry Potter series and asked a reader to review the first three chapters. Since the response was overwhelming, she decided to try her hand at publishing. She sent out drafts of her book to 12 publishing houses in London and was rejected by them all. A year later, one publishing house in London decided to publish The Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; and Rowling was given a cheque of £1500 in advance.
The success of the first book was overwhelming and was later even published in the USA under the name ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.’ J.K. Rowling wasn’t so fond of the change but couldn’t do much about it due to her weak financial position at that time. The second book ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ was out in 1998, and the third one ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ the following year. Both books went on to fetch Rowling the Smarties Prize for her unparalleled contribution to art.
‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ was released in the year 2000, and went on to sell 3 million copies within the first 48 hours of its release, breaking all records.
The fifth installment of the series ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ came out 3 years later making everyone believe that Rowling had struck a writer’s block when she hadn’t. 2005 saw the sixth book ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, which sold 9 million copies within the first 24 hours. The seventh and final book ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ saw the series coming to an end in 2007. The journey made J.K. Rowling a tremendous amount of money and fame. She also helped launch many actor’s careers, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.