How much is J. K. Rowling worth?
| Net Worth: | $700 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Author |
| Date of Birth: | July 31, 1965 (age 57) |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Height: | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
About J. K. Rowling
When looking at inspiring stories of people who found fame, it is hard to go past the life story of British author, J.K. Rowling. Her story is a modern-day fairytale, one that gives much inspiration that if one has the talent and drive, they can certainly achieve their goals. Joanne Rowling was born on July 31 1965 in Yate, England. She graduated from the University of Exeter and then moved to Portugal where she met and married her first husband. She had a daughter, Jessica, in 1993, and soon after that her marriage ended and Rowling moved to Edinburgh with her daughter.
While living on welfare, Rowling began writing the story of a boy wizard, an idea that reportedly came to her on a train journey from Manchester to London in 1990. It was when the first book of the seven-book series of Harry Potter was printed that J. K. Rowling shot to fame.
J. K. Rowling’s journey was a rocky one, she is no stranger to adversity and challenging times. However, the one constant in her life was her passion for books. From ever since she could remember, J. K. Rowling describes her love of books and her passion for not just reading but for story-writing too. She wrote her first story at the young age of 6. It was the story of a rabbit titled “Rabbit”. At 11 years old, Rowling wrote another story about 7 cursed diamonds and the people who owned them. The idea of Harry Potter came to Rowling in 1990 but it was a long journey after that.
For the next five years, she planned out the entire Harry Potter series, eventually dividing it into seven books. It was not an easy time for her. She had a daughter, got divorced, and needed welfare payments to support herself as a single mother. But through it all, she spent every spare minute writing the story of the boy wizard. When finally done and her manuscript complete, Rowling sent it to many literary agents, most of whom rejected it, sent it back on didn’t respond at all.
After going through it all, J. K. Rowling did hear back from an agent asking for the entire manuscript. This was the beginning of Rowling’s fame, fortune and against-the-odds gargantuan success. It was in 1997 that Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published by Bloomsbury. Rowling’s imaginative style of writing about an orphaned boy, who discovers he is a wizard and enrolls in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, won over children and adults alike. The book was a bestseller in no time. It won numerous awards including the British Books Awards. It was translated into many other languages and quickly became an international phenomenon.
Within a matter of months, J. K. Rowling had gone from being a single mother on welfare to a celebrated author known across the world. The subsequent books published in the Harry Potter series broke several records. The final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in 2007 and by then J. K. Rowling’s name was firmly entrenched in the lists of the most successful authors of all time.
Joanne Rowling’s true claim to fame is undeniably the Harry Potter series. She shot to fame and entered the class of the wealthy with the very first book’s release. That wealth continued to grow with the release of the subsequent Harry Potter books. Additionally, she wrote a related book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was released in 2001. Then in 2016, the movie came out and earned an incredible $814 million from a $200 million budget. I think with marketing though, which was invested in heavily for the film, like all of her releases, may have run that budget over by as much as an estimated $25 million.
Most of Rowling’s money is estimated not to have come directly from her books, but from the movie adaptations. Even while the books were being released, Harry Potter was being adapted to film versions. The movies released between 2001 and 2011 starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, became some of the top-grossing movies of all time, adding generously to Rowling’s overall wealth. In fact, it’s estimated that J. K. Rowling has earned $700 million dollars so far from the Harry Potter movies.
When you count in the Harry Potter books, toys, and games since the brand’s debut, Business Insider puts the revenue at approximately $15 billion. With Harry Potter becoming an international phenomenon, the character and its wizarding world became one of the most profitable ventures of all time.
Suddenly there were Harry Potter theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, and Japan, called Wizarding World Of Harry Potter. Rowling earned millions from the licensing fee of the attractions at the park. Rowling also launched her website, originally called Pottermore but recently changed to Wizarding World. It has earned her millions through numerous partnerships to sell audiobooks and e-books online. In addition to all these earnings, Rowling earns a licensing fee for the Broadway play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.
Rowling has also written a new series titled Cormoran Strikes under the name of Robert Galbraith. The first 3 books in the series have may have earned her close to an estimated $4 to $7 million. With another Fantastic Beasts movie slated to release April 8, 2022 in the United Kingdom, and Rowling’s profound talent for story-telling promising other creative ventures, J. K. Rowling will continue to see riches flow in for years to come.
Rowling has often said that from the time she knew what a writer did, she had known she wanted to be one. She began to write stories when she was just six, honing her talents and sharpening her skills. Similarly, when the idea of Harry Potter came to her, she didn’t let the idea just float. Instead, she spent years developing and planning the story, working on the intricate details of the wizarding world, and breaking the story down into seven proper parts.
Despite the challenges she faced, Rowling persisted with her passion for writing. In the process of writing Harry’s story, she lost her mother, got divorced, and spent time on welfare as a single mother but she didn’t stop. Through all the darkest of times, Rowling continued to weave her creative magic. When things didn’t go to plan, J. K. Rowling accepted them as part of her journey and continued. She was rejected 12 times by agents before an agent showed interest in her manuscript.
Summing-Up
J. K. Rowling’s rags-to-riches story reads like a modern-day fairytale. Born with a passion for books, she nurtured her gift for writing. Despite all the challenges she faced in life, Rowling never gave up on her writing. It was this unwavering commitment that helped Rowling write a story so brilliant. That when life delivered her a chance to be published she secured her fortune with her own assertiveness. There is no denying that stories like Harry Potter aren’t written often and perhaps even Rowling herself may never write something that equals the success of her Harry Potter series. However, the kind of brilliant writer that she is, J. K. Rowling is sure to entertain us with many more stories in the near future. She will go down in history as one of the most celebrated and wealthy novelists of her time. And someone who brought joy and creativity and imagination into so many homes.
