The Author - J.K. Rowling

 Joanne Kathleen Rowling sat at a table in an Edinburgh cafe writing about Harry Potter, the boy who lived. The first of the fantastically popular Harry Potter books was completed with the aid of a grant from the Scottish Arts Council.  Nobody could ever have foreseen the worldwide following which sprang from those humble beginnings.  Today J.K. Rowling is a household name across the USA and much of Europe.

 Joanne Rowling was born in Chipping, Sodbury near Bristol, England in 1965.  She attended Exeter University, worked as a secretary and then as a teacher.  She was divorced shortly after her daughter was born and moved back to Edinburgh to live alone with her daughter in a tiny flat. 

Rowling first thought of Harry while riding a train back in 1990.  She said, "Harry just strolled into my head fully formed."  She worked on the book for several years, finding quiet moments while her daughter napped.  Several publishers turned down the finished manuscript before one took interest.

 Harry Potter's magic has touched readers of all ages all over the world.  In the United States, there are over 103 million books in print.  Moreover, each book has been #1 on The New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.  The sixth title, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, set a new world record for a first printing when it sold 10.8 million copies on its release date of July 16, 2005.

J. K. Rowling has won the Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Whitbread Award for Best Children's Book, a special commendation for the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize, and a special certificate for being a three-year winner of the Smarties Prize.  She has appeared on "60 Minutes," "The Today Show," and "Larry King Live."  Rowling has also been named an Officer of the British Empire.

In 1998, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published in the United States, kicking off Harry-mania.  Suddenly, kids were reading again, and their parents wanted to read the same books!  The second and third books were published in the spring and fall of 1999.

On July 8, 2000, the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire became a major celebration.  Bookstore events occurred at midnight nationwide.  The book sold three million copies in the first 48 hours of release giving it the title of "fastest-selling book in history" This was a title later claimed by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when it was released on June 21, 2003.

With over a quarter of a billion books sold, the books have been translated into 61 languages and distributed in over 200 countries. All six books have appeared on bestseller lists in the United States, Britain, and around the globe. Warner Brothers has the rights to create films on all of the books that have been published to date.