In 1994, a young British writer suffered from clinical depression and was contemplating suicide. Today, she is known as the author of a famous book series that has sold over 500 million copies worldwide… How did she do it?
How did JK Rowling become a millionaire by writing books?
The protagonist of this story is Joanne Rowling, better known as J.K. Rowling, who was born in Yate, United Kingdom, on July 31, 1965. From a young age, she enjoyed writing stories, which she would often tell her younger sister. Her great-aunt gave her JessicaMitford‘ss autobiography “Hons and Rebels .” The author became her hero, and she read all of her books; this marked a childhood and adolescence deeply connected to literature. She earned a double degree in French and Classical Philology from the University of Exeter. Everything else in her life unfolded without major incident until she turned 25, when her life took an unexpected turn.
The origin of Harry Potter
In June 1990, she traveled by train from Manchester to London. The train suffered a problem and was delayed by four hours. At that moment, as if struck by a kind of epiphany, in her own words, the idea of a school for magicians came to her—a school for a boy who didn’t know he was a magician and would lead a normal life without realizing it until he received an invitation from the school. Joanne was very insecure and had very little self-confidence, but the idea excited her, so upon arriving at her apartment, she immediately began writing it down.
That same year, her mother passed away from multiple sclerosis, which she had battled for 10 years. She was the only person who supported her dream of becoming a writer. This had a profound impact on Joanne, as she never had the chance to tell her mother about Harry Potter, the exciting project she was working on.
Shortly afterward, Rowling had the opportunity to teach English in Porto, Portugal. She moved there and lived for three years. In that city, she met Jorge Arantes, with whom she fell in love and whom she later married in 1992. Soon after, she became pregnant. Her daughter, Jessica Isabel Rowling, whom she named after Jessica Mitford, her childhood heroine, was born on July 27, 1993, in Portugal.
Unfortunately, this marriage did not last and ended shortly after. Her husband was unfaithful and an alcoholic, and it is presumed that Rowling suffered domestic violence. So, in November of that same year, she left him and, along with her daughter, moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where her sister lived.
In 1994, her husband sought her out in Scotland, begging her to return, and Rowling had to file a restraining order. In August of that year, she formally filed for divorce.
At that time, she suffered from clinical depression. Her despair was so profound that she even considered suicide, but she found in her daughter Jessica the motivation to keep going.
Divorced, unemployed, a single mother living on state benefits, her only hope was finishing the Harry Potter book she was writing by hand. Her daughter was a baby, and the only way to get her to sleep so she could work on her idea was by taking walks. That’s how she managed to complete her first novel, writing it in various cafes where she stopped to rest whenever Jessica fell asleep.
Building a fortune by writing children’s books
In 1995, she finished her manuscript for “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone .” The Christopher Little Literary Agents agreed to represent Rowling in her search for a publisher after enthusiastically receiving the first three chapters of the novel. The book was rejected by twelve publishers. After a year of searching, a small London publishing house called Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book. Rowling received the good news and an advance of $1,800, which thrilled her; however, the publisher advised her to get a job, as they weren’t entirely sure she could make much money writing children’s books.
Just before publishing the novel, she was asked to use a pseudonym with two initials instead of her real name because they feared that younger readers would decide not to buy the book upon seeing that it was written by a woman.
Since she didn’t have a middle name, she chose to use the letter “K” in honor of her paternal grandmother, Kathleen; thus, her most famous pen name, J.K. Rowling, was born. In 1997, she received a $9,700 grant from the Scottish Arts Council to continue writing. That year, 1,000 copies of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” were published in Europe, 500 of which were distributed to libraries. In the spring of that year, an auction was held for the rights to publish the book in the United States, which was won by Scholastic Inc. for $105,000—a fortune for Rowling.
Five months after its release, the novel won its first award: the Nestlé Children’s Book Award. It then went on to win the prestigious British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year, and later, the Best Children’s Book Award.
Its sequel, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” was released in July 1998. That same year, Scholastic published “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in the United States, where it was very well received. This success led Warner Bros. to acquire the film rights to the first two novels.
In December 1999, the third novel in the series, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” won the award for best children’s book, making Rowling the first person to win the award three times in a row. On July 8, 2000, the fourth installment of the series was released simultaneously in the United States and Great Britain. In Great Britain, it sold over 372,000 copies on its first day, surpassing the annual sales of the previous book. And in the United States, it sold three million copies in just 48 hours, breaking sales records. It all seemed like a dream, according to J.K. Rowling, who never imagined her story would have such an impact.
In 2001, a film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was released. It received positive reviews from the specialized press, grossed nearly $975 million worldwide, and earned three Academy Award nominations. This success catapulted the saga, making the novels known to a wider audience. A total of eight films were made to adapt the seven novels written by Rowling, who actively participated in the production of all the films to ensure they didn’t conflict with the novels to be published in the future and oversaw the casting of the main characters. These films were a complete success around the world for more than a decade, grossing over $7.7 billion, making it the second highest-grossing film franchise in history, second only to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
JK Rowling, one of the most successful writers in the world
Harry Potter has become a global trademark worth approximately $15 billion today. The last four Harry Potter books broke the record for the fastest-selling books in history. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” sold 9 million copies in 24 hours. And the final book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” sold 11 million copies on its first day.
Today, life is smiling on J.K. Rowling. She is married and has three children. She writes books for children and adults, is a British film producer, and a screenwriter. She has a fortune of over $650 million and was named by Forbes magazine as the first person to earn $1 billion from writing books. She has sold more than 500 million books worldwide. She is admired for her philanthropic work to combat poverty and social inequality. Her foundation, the Volant Charitable Trust, helps children, single-parent families, and multiple sclerosis research.
J.K. Rowling’s story is truly inspiring. While most people find all sorts of excuses to abandon their dreams, she found inspiration precisely in the difficulties and challenges she faced. This is how this entrepreneur, who once felt alone, frustrated, and without a reason to live, became one of the most successful writers in the world.
In JK Rowling‘s own words :
“Failure is very important. We talk about success all the time, but it is the ability to withstand or use failure that often leads to greater success.”
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