Interviewee: J.K. Rowling
Interviewer: Katie Couric

Joanne “Jo” Rowling, who writes under the pen name “J.K. Rowling,” gained worldwide recognition through the Harry Potter fantasy series, of which the first book was released in 1997. J.K. Rowling was born on July 31, 1965 in Yate, England. She attended Wyedean School and College and graduated from Exeter University.

In 1990, when J.K. Rowling got stuck on a delayed train for a four-hour trip between Manchester and London, she concocted the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry. It actually took her six years to complete the book. Meanwhile, she went to Portugal to teach English; married a Portuguese television journalist in 1992; and gave birth to one daughter. (The couple got separated in 1993).

One year after, she and her daughter moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. After finally completing the first of the Harry Potter series, several publishers rejected her manuscript before Bloombury Publishing purchased it in 1996. In 2001, Rowling married Neil Michael Murray. They have two children.

The Harry Potter books have won several awards and have sold almost 400 million copies, making Rowling the first author billionaire according to Forbes magazine in 2006. Forbes’ 2008 report estimated her net worth to be $1 billion. In 2007, she is ranked 48 in Forbes’ The Celebrity 100 and her earnings for the year were estimated to be $32 million.

Here J.K. Rowling talks about the sixth book of her Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released on July 16, 2005. The storyline is set during Potter’s sixth year at Hogwarts School, including a discovery of Lord Valdemort’s past and Potter’s battles in the midst of emotional struggles and conflict resolutions. The book has sold nine million copies in the first 24 hours after its release.

Scholastic Bio of J.K. Rowling.

A book review by J.K. Rowling.

Fan site dedicated to J.K. Rowling.