JK Rowling Runner up Time's Person Of The Year

[MA-Caver]

When the last battle was over and the last secrets of the seven-book, 17-year journey were spilled, Jo Rowling did what grieving, grateful and emotionally exhausted people do: she ransacked the minibar.

She'd known from the start that Harry Potter would survive his ordeal; the question was how she would handle her own. This time a year ago, she was holed up on deadline in the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh to escape the bedlam at home, writing the climactic chapter in which her hero walks into the dark forest to give his life for those he loves. And while she knew that all would be well in the end, "I really was walking him to his death, because I was about to finish writing about him," she says. It's her favorite chapter in her favorite book — but when she finished, "I just burst into tears and couldn't stop crying. I opened up the minibar and drank down one of those pathetic little bottles of champagne."

Rowling calls her time with Harry "one of the longest relationships of my adult life," her rock through bereavement, a turbulent marriage and divorce, single motherhood, changes of country, fear of failure — and transcendent joy, on the day a wise man at Bloomsbury offered her $2,250 and agreed to print 1,000 books. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows went on sale last July, it sold 15 million copies worldwide in 24 hours, breaking the record that had been held by each of the previous three books. (To put that in perspective, 2005's Half-Blood Prince moved more copies on its first day than The Da Vinci Code did in an entire year.) Meanwhile, the movie version of Book 5 — Order of the Phoenix — made $645 million, and plans for an Orlando, Fla., theme park were unveiled. Forbes magazine put Rowling second only to Oprah as the richest woman in entertainment, ahead of Martha Stewart and Madonna — and as the first person to become a billionaire by writing books.

More: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2...ticle/0,28804,1690753_1695388_1695436,00.html

Nice article here.
Also a photo essay including a photo of a Potter Book Burning in Arizona (sad) http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/personoftheyear/0,30706,1694514,00.html

 

[tellner]

Every generation must make the magic new again or lose a piece of its soul. Rowling has brought the old stories to life this time around.

 

[Andrew Green]

She's gotten more people reading books that probably otherwise wouldn't have, and has kickstarted a whole wave of children / young adult fantasy books and movies being rediscovered.

The book burnings are definately rather sad, but I figure any book worth reading has to have someone wishing we weren't reading it

 

[AceHBK]

She's gotten more people reading books that probably otherwise wouldn't have, and has kickstarted a whole wave of children / young adult fantasy books and movies being rediscovered.

The book burnings are definately rather sad, but I figure any book worth reading has to have someone wishing we weren't reading it

well said

 

[Big Don]

The first person to become a billionaire by writing books. That is absolutely AWESOME.

 

[MA-Caver]

The first person to become a billionaire by writing books. That is absolutely AWESOME.

Yeah, true... but is that strictly from book sales or is it also included from merchandising and movie rights and all of that? Either way... from drawing welfare to sitting pretty on the hill... that's a hellva accomplishment for just using your imagination.


Einstein was right.

 

[Gordon Nore]

Yeah, true... but is that strictly from book sales or is it also included from merchandising and movie rights and all of that? Either way...

I don't know either; however, I do cut Rowling a lot of slack for the merchandising. I remember reading years ago that she was hounded to license Potter films and toys before she finally relented. I was teaching elementary when the first movie was released, and my son was in that age group as well. The Harry Potter paraphernalia was much less in-your-face than the over-priced Star Wars trilogy stuff. A lot of money was made, but it didn't quite as excessive IMO.

 

[Kacey]

She's gotten more people reading books that probably otherwise wouldn't have, and has kickstarted a whole wave of children / young adult fantasy books and movies being rediscovered.

As a teacher, any book that gets children to read is wonderful, IMO.

The book burnings are definately rather sad, but I figure any book worth reading has to have someone wishing we weren't reading it

I agree... burning or otherwise destroying books, or banning them, for any reason is heinous.