| Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in Chipping | | | | 1997 andwas an instant success. |
| Sodbury, | | | | The book was published under her initials because |
| England in 1965. She began writing at the age of 6 | | | | herpublisher feared that boys would be less likely to |
| with astory called 'Rabbit', which she never finished. | | | | read thebook if they knew it was written by a |
| In high school her favorite subject was English. From | | | | woman. |
| High | | | | At a book fair in Italy later that year, Scholastic |
| School, Rowling went to Exeter University where she | | | | Booksbought the American rights for $105,000, an |
| earneda degree in French. | | | | unheard offigure for a children's writer with only one |
| After graduating, she spent a year studying in Paris | | | | book to hername. |
| andthen went back to London where she worked in | | | | It was published in the States in 1998 with the title |
| a number ofjobs, including a year with Amnesty | | | | 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'. |
| International and ashort time as secretary for a | | | | The sequel - 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of |
| publishing company, where shewas responsible for | | | | Secrets' -was published in June of 1999 and later that |
| sending out rejection slips. | | | | same year, thethird book in the series was released, |
| In the summer of 1990, on a delayed train from | | | | 'Harry Potter andthe Prisoner of Azkaban'. |
| Manchesterto London, she came up with the idea of | | | | By the time her fourth book appeared in 2000 - |
| a boy who discovershe is a wizard. But it would be 7 | | | | 'Harry |
| years before the ideabecame a book. | | | | Potter and The Goblet of Fire' - the series had |
| In that same year her mother died of Multiple | | | | become aninternational phenomenon: the initial print |
| Sclerosis andshe left for Portugal to teach English, | | | | run for her 4thbook was 1.5 million copies in the UK |
| hoping to find away to deal with her grief. | | | | and 3.8 million inthe US. |
| In October 1992 she married a Portuguese | | | | By 2000, JK Rowland had become the highest-earning |
| televisionjournalist, Jorge Arantes. But the marriage | | | | woman in |
| lasted justeleven months. | | | | Britain, with an income of more than £20.5 |
| In 1993 she left her husband and returned to England, | | | | million ($29.3m)in the previous year. |
| withthe one legacy of her failed marriage - an infant | | | | In 2001 her annual earnings were estimated at over |
| daughternamed Jessica. | | | | £24m, |
| Her life suddenly took a nose-dive. Fighting poverty | | | | ($34.3m) placing her between Madonna and Paul |
| anddepression, she lived in a mice-infested flat in | | | | McCartney inthe ranks of high-earning celebrities. |
| Edinburghand struggled to raise her baby daughter on | | | | In October 1998 Warner Brothers bought the rights |
| a welfare checkof 70 pounds ($100) a week. | | | | to 'Harry |
| Unable to heat her flat, she sat in cafés | | | | Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' and its sequel |
| nursing anespresso for 2 hours at a time and worked | | | | ('Harry |
| feverishly on themanuscript of 'Harry Potter and the | | | | Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets'), for the tidy |
| Philosopher's Stone'while her baby daughter slept in a | | | | sum of |
| pram. | | | | $700,000. |
| The manuscript is said to have been rejected by | | | | With the release of the first Harry Potter film, J.K. |
| three | | | | Rowling's total earnings are estimated to have |
| British publishers - Penguin, Transworld and | | | | exceeded |
| HarperCollins. | | | | $100 million. |
| But Bloomsbury Children's Books did sign her up, | | | | In March 2001 she was awarded an OBE (Order of |
| reportedlypaying £10,000 ($14,300) for the | | | | the British |
| rights to 'Harry Potterand The Philosopher's Stone'. | | | | Empire) by the Queen, for services to |
| The Philosopher's Stone was published on 30 June, | | | | children'sliterature. |