Writing Made Them Rich #1: JK Rowling

Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury,England in 1965. She began writing at the age of 6 with astory called 'Rabbit', which she never finished.

In high school her favorite subject was English. From HighSchool, Rowling went to Exeter University where she earneda degree in French.

After graduating, she spent a year studying in Paris andthen went back to London where she worked in a number ofjobs, including a year with Amnesty International and ashort time as secretary for a publishing company, where shewas responsible for sending out rejection slips.

In the summer of 1990, on a delayed train from Manchesterto London, she came up with the idea of a boy who discovershe is a wizard. But it would be 7 years before the ideabecame a book.

In that same year her mother died of Multiple Sclerosis andshe left for Portugal to teach English, hoping to find away to deal with her grief.

In October 1992 she married a Portuguese televisionjournalist, Jorge Arantes. But the marriage lasted justeleven months.

In 1993 she left her husband and returned to England, withthe one legacy of her failed marriage - an infant daughternamed Jessica.

Her life suddenly took a nose-dive. Fighting poverty anddepression, she lived in a mice-infested flat in Edinburghand struggled to raise her baby daughter on a welfare checkof 70 pounds ($100) a week.

Unable to heat her flat, she sat in cafés nursing anespresso for 2 hours at a time and worked feverishly on themanuscript of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'while her baby daughter slept in a pram.

The manuscript is said to have been rejected by threeBritish publishers - Penguin, Transworld and HarperCollins.

But Bloomsbury Children's Books did sign her up, reportedlypaying £10,000 ($14,300) for the rights to 'Harry Potterand The Philosopher's Stone'.

The Philosopher's Stone was published on 30 June, 1997 andwas an instant success.

The book was published under her initials because herpublisher feared that boys would be less likely to read thebook if they knew it was written by a woman.

At a book fair in Italy later that year, Scholastic Booksbought the American rights for $105,000, an unheard offigure for a children's writer with only one book to hername.

It was published in the States in 1998 with the title'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'.

The sequel - 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' -was published in June of 1999 and later that same year, thethird book in the series was released, 'Harry Potter andthe Prisoner of Azkaban'.

By the time her fourth book appeared in 2000 - 'HarryPotter and The Goblet of Fire' - the series had become aninternational phenomenon: the initial print run for her 4thbook was 1.5 million copies in the UK and 3.8 million inthe US.

By 2000, JK Rowland had become the highest-earning woman inBritain, with an income of more than £20.5 million ($29.3m)in the previous year.

In 2001 her annual earnings were estimated at over £24m,($34.3m) placing her between Madonna and Paul McCartney inthe ranks of high-earning celebrities.

In October 1998 Warner Brothers bought the rights to 'HarryPotter and the Sorcerer's Stone' and its sequel ('HarryPotter and the Chamber Of Secrets'), for the tidy sum of$700,000.

With the release of the first Harry Potter film, J.K.Rowling's total earnings are estimated to have exceeded$100 million.

In March 2001 she was awarded an OBE (Order of the BritishEmpire) by the Queen, for services to children'sliterature.

------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
------------------------------------------------------------

---

Learn to Write Like a Pro

Many writers write for the experience. Others dream of having... Read More

Revising Your Manuscript: Fourteen Questions to Ask Yourself

1) Can you summarize the story in about a sentence... Read More

Self-Examination

Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More

How To Write More Powerful Reports

There is one key difference between reports and most other... Read More

What you Dont Know About Book Publishing Can Cost You

Dream that your book can be a number one best... Read More

Writing is a Discipline

If a writer considers writing to be a task, he/she... Read More

Top 7 Writers Sites for 2005

If you dream of turning your book into a best... Read More

A Freelancers Journey, Part One

Today it begins.I have always known I was a freelancer.... Read More

The Writer and the Web

If your dream is to get published, the chance is... Read More

Starting a Local Writers Group

My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More

71 Ways For A Writer To Make Money

There are so many ways for writers to make good... Read More

Make Your Mark Upon Humanity

The greatest gift you have to give to yourself and... Read More

Proofreading for Profits

How to avoid mistakes that undermine your credibilityYou're probably already... Read More

Pages: Your Book of Life

Many of us dream of writing a book. Why not.... Read More

Top Ten Ways to Write Like a Pro Checklist

Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling... Read More

Stimulate Your Sensebuds...and Wave Goodbye To Writers Cramp!

When you get stuck for ideas, and the words won't... Read More

Business Writing Tip: Question & Answer Format

Traditionally, business writing uses the "one thing after another" format,... Read More

Write On! - Key Components of Successful Business Communication

Written communication is often the first impression you make on... Read More

Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made By New Childrens Writers

Okay. So I'm not David Letterman. But I doubt if... Read More

Keys to Characterisation

Far too many inexperienced writers create flat, stereotypical characters: the... Read More

The Writing Club

Typically when falling asleep in bed at night great thoughts... Read More

The Writing Game

There are a lot of tapes and books and CD... Read More

How to Write Bad Poetry

So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that... Read More

In Praise of Personal Pronouns

Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock... Read More

Writing Short Info Reports

People want information, they want it quick, frequently in short... Read More

Put a Spin on Your Idea!

Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More

7 Steps to Successful Publishing

The decision to publish a book is very exciting! It... Read More

You Cant Always Believe What You See On Your Computer Screen

You may not remember this, but in the early days... Read More

10 Secrets For Writing Killer Complaint Letters

Complaint letters aren't always fun, but sometimes they need to... Read More

Knock-Out Writers Block: Listening To Your Inner Voice

When I was young, I used to talk to myself.... Read More

Mission Possible: Get Published with Goals, Guidance, and Persistance

You send me an e-mail. You tell me you've written... Read More

Documenting Everything: Your Journal is Your Logbook

Sailors had it for years. Great explorers had it as... Read More

Multiplying Sales As A Writer

Often, time is an enemy of writers. Sales seem slow... Read More