How J.K. Rowling Wrote Herself Into The History Books

Creating one of the most successful and globally acclaimed book series and film franchises in his-tory is no mean feat, especially with hardship and struggle plaguing everyday life. But in bringing Harry Potter to the world, literary genius J. K. Rowling achieved the seemingly impossible, making a name for herself as one of the most celebrated authors of our time.

As many aspiring writers experience, the journey to getting published is not as easy as simply sub-mitting your work to publishers, nor is the career path of an author one that typically summons huge support from loved ones. Rowling’s early experience with writing was fairly typical in this sense, as she struggled with dozens of publishers rejecting her Harry Potter series, and parents with limited education who didn’t support her unattainable aspirations.

Through depression, divorce, raising a child as a single mother on government welfare benefits, and her own mother being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Rowling’s vision of realising her dreams never faded, and she worked tirelessly to balance life’s struggles and establish herself as a serious author.

On 26th June 1997, Bloomsbury published ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, the first milestone in what would become an unbelievable career of creating imaginary worlds for people everywhere to explore and enjoy. As of February 2018, a record-breaking 500 million copies of the books (translated into 80 languages) have sold worldwide.

The Harry Potter books and films were so immensely popular and commercially successful that Rowling has since launched an impressive collection of spinoff projects, including ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ at Orlando’s Universal Studio, the popular online encyclopaedia Pottermore, and the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series. In 2016, the Harry Potter franchise was estimated at $25 billion, establishing Harry Potter as one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Hailed as one of the most influential creative contributors of our generation, J. K. Rowling has made her mark – in indelible ink. She also became the first female author to feature on the Forbes billionaires list. Since then, she has surrendered her billionaire status in favour of giving back through impactful charity work, a show of philanthropy and generosity that truly positions her as the heroine of her own inspiring story.