by JRR

Created on: August 04, 2009   Last Updated: August 05, 2009

Before 1990, J. K. Rowling was yet another struggling author, known only to those around her. Born Joanna "Jo" Murray, she began writing at the age of six with no real success. Then, on a train from Manchester in 1990, the idea for Harry Potter came to mind.

She finished the manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the title was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when it went to U. S. publication), in 1995. She sent her completed work to several potential agents. The second agent she tried offered to represent her. After changing her name to one more gender-neutral to also appeal to male readers, J. K. Rowling became a great success.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1998) was only the beginning. It was the first in a series of seven best sellers, the others being Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1999), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003), Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2005), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007).

Rowling completed the final manuscript on January 11, 2007, but has stated that the final chapter of this last book, the epilogue, was completed around 1990. During an appearance on the British talk show Richard & Judy, she did reveal that changes had been made in the process where one character "got a reprieve" and two others who survived in the original copy were killed in the final draft.

Rowling is now also known for her "rags to riches" story, where she has come from living on welfare to being a multi-millionaire in only five years. The Harry Potter series is read world-wide, yet still some people wonder if she deserves the acclaim she has received. This question is best answered by the facts themselves.

The high demand for these books prompted the New York Times to make a separate best sellers list for children's literature in 2000. By June 24, 2000, the first three books of the series had remained on the list for 79 consecutive weeks. Yet, this alone doesn't complete the picture.

Rowling has also written Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, a Hogwarts' textbook, and Quidditch Through the Ages (a book Harry read for fun). The proceeds from the sales went to Comic Relief in 2007. That same year, she wrote seven hand-written copies of The Tales of Beedle The Bard, a collection of fairytales which were part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. One

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