Biography of J

Biography of J.K. Rowling

Facts About the Author of Harry Potter and Beedle the Bard

Oct 8, 2008

JK Rowling's Harry Potter series has generated almost cult-like status since its first publication, generating a new enthusiasm with children for reading.

By 2003, at least 192 million copies of JK Rowling's books had been sold in over 200 countries. The books have been translated into at least 55 languages, including Latin. In 2003 Rolling was credited with being the richest woman in England, surpassing the Queen in terms of fiscal wealth.

The Early Years

Joanne Kathleen Rowling (pronounced ‘rolling’) was born in 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire. She wrote her first story at aged five or six, about a rabbit who contracted the measles and was visited by its friends.

Rowling moved to Yate and then Winterbourne, close to Bristol. At this time she became friends with a family called the Potters, and retained a fondness for the surname. Her family moved again when she was nine years old to the Forest of Dean. After attending Tutshill Primary School she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Her favourite subject was English, followed by languages.

The Middle Years

Rolling went to Exeter University straight after school and studied French. On graduating from Exeter she spent a few years employed as a secretary. When she was 26, Rowling moved to Portugal and worked as an English teacher. At this time she was starting work on the first Harry Potter novel, about a boy who attended magic school. She married a Portuguese journalist, and had a daughter called Jessica. Following a divorce, Rowling and her daughter moved to Edinburgh in Scotland.

Rowling continued to write the novel, sitting at a café table while Jessica napped. The Scottish Arts Council gave her a grant to finish the book and she eventually sold Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone to Bloomsbury. By this time, Rowling was teaching French. A few months later Arthur A Levine Books and Scholastic Press bought the American rights, which enabled Rowling to give up teaching.

Selling the Harry Potter Series, and Achieving Fame

The book was published in the UK by Bloomsbury Children's Books in June 1997. Harry Potter won The British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, and the Smarties Prize. Renamed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the book was published in the USA in 1998 by Arthur A Levine Books/Scholastic Press.

The sequel, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was published in the UK in July 1998 and in the USA in June 1999. The third book, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, was published in the UK in July 1999 and in the USA in September 1999.

By the summer of 2000, the first three books had sold over 35 million copies in 35 languages and earned approximately $480 million. In July 2000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had a first printing of 5.3 million copies with advance orders of over 1.8 million.

The fifth book in the series, Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix was published in 2003 with a first print run of 8.5 million copies (USA). 5 million copies were recorded sold in the USA on the first Saturday after it was published. Barnes and Noble reported selling 286,000 copies in just one hour.

The sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was published simultaneously in multiple countries on July 16th 2005. The seventh, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published in July 2007.

Rowling’s latest book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is due to be published this year.

Source:

Smith, S. J.K.Rowling: A Biography - The Genius Behind Harry PotterMichael O'Mara Books Ltd; 2001. ISBN-10: 1854798200

The copyright of the article A Biography of J.K. Rowling in Children’s Books is owned by Jen Syrkiewicz. Permission to republish A Biography of J.K. Rowling in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

http://childrensbooks.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_brief_biography_of_jk_rowling

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