J.K. Rowling is the creator and author of the popular Harry Potter series. With seven official books published, the Harry Potter series became popular with both children and adults. Since the conception and publication of the first Harry Potter novel, J.K. Rowling has risen to fame through her books and the movies based on the series. As a result of her fame and wealth, Rowling has also become a philanthropist, donating money to various charities, including ones that promote literacy and help children.

Joanne Rowling was born on July 31, 1965 to Peter and Anne Rowling in Gloucestershire, England. At the age of four Rowling and her family moved to Winterbourne where she attended St. Michael's Primary School. Supposedly, the headmaster at the school, Alfred Dunn, would later serve as an inspiration to the character Albus Dumbledore.

When JK Rowling was nine, she and her family moved to Tutshill where she attended Wyedean School and College for her secondary school and later attended the University of Exeter to earn her Bachelors in French and Classics. After graduation, Rowling found employment as a bilingual secretary and researcher with Amnesty International. It was during this time, in 1990, that Rowling first came up with the idea for Harry Potter. According to the author, the idea came to her while she was waiting for a train from Manchester to London. When she arrived at her destination, she began writing.

After finishing her employment with Amnesty International, J.K. Rowling moved to Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. While there she met and married Jorge Arantes with whom she had a daughter, Jessica. Rowling and Arantes separated a little over a year into their marriage and divorced a year and half later.

During their separation, Rowling moved to Edinburgh, Scotland with Jessica so she could be near her sister. At this point, Rowling was unemployed and living in a small apartment in Edinburgh, relying on state benefits to provide her with food and essentials. It was during this time that Rowling did most of her writing, walking her daughter around the streets until she fell asleep then hopping into the nearest cafe to work on her stories.

Rowling finished her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in 1995 and began submitting it to agencies for representation. Bryony Evans at the Christopher Little Literary Agents took her as a client and began submitting it to various publishers. The book was rejected by all twelve. A year after finding an agent, Rowling's book was finally accepted by a small publisher called Bloomsbury. Rowling received a small advance and was told to find a day job instead of relying on children's books for her career. Shortly thereafter, Rowling was awarded a grant from the Scottish Arts Council which she used to continue her series of stories.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published and distributed in 1997 with an initial printing of only one thousand copies, most of which were sent to libraries. The book began winning all kinds of awards including the Nestle Smarties Book Prize, the British Book Award, and even the Children's Book Award.

In 1998 the first editions became available in the US under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It was published through the company Scholasitc which had previously won the bid to distribute it in the United States. At the time, Bloomsbury did not have a US branch of their company. Since the publication of Harry Potter, they've grown and now publish books in the US as well as Britain. Scholastic, however, still owns the rights to publish Harry Potter in the US.

The film rights to Harry Potter were purchasd in 1998 and the first movie arrived in theatres in 2001. All seven of the Harry Potter books will eventually be made into films, most of them staring the original cast.

Since her rise to fame, J K Rowling has become the wealthiest author in the world. She has also gone to purchase a few homes in Scotland and London and married her second husband, Neil Michael Murray in 2001. She and Murray have had one son and one daughter together.

With her worldwide success, Joanne Rowling was determined to give back to the community and has been a regular contributor to numerous charities that help children, one parent families, and research for multiple sclerosis.



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I never expected to be in the papers. I personally never expected to be in the papers. The height of my ambition for these books was, well frankly, to get reviewed. A lot of children's books don't even get reviewed.. forget good review, bad review. Personally, no, I never expected to be in the papers so it's an odd experience when it happens to you.
J. K. Rowling - Success - Ambition - Book - Media - Famous

I didn't think they'd rake through my bins, I didn't expect to be photographed on the beach through long lenses. I never dreamt it would impact my daughter's life negatively, which at times it has. It would be churlish to say there's nothing good about being famous; to have a total stranger walk up to you as you're walking around Safeways, and say a number of nice things that they might say about your work... I mean of course you walk on with a bit more spring in your step.
J. K. Rowling - Media - Famous - Negative - Dreams

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