Who wrote Harry Potter?
J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published in 1997 and became a global phenomenon.
Joanne Rowling came up with the idea for Harry Potter in 1990 on a delayed train from Manchester to London. She wrote much of the first book as a single mother in Edinburgh, sometimes in cafés. Twelve publishers rejected it before Bloomsbury accepted it.
Her publisher suggested using initials so that boys would not be put off by a female author. Rowling had no middle name, so she added K for Kathleen, her grandmother's name.
A worldwide success
The seven Harry Potter books have sold more than 600 million copies and been translated into over 80 languages. They inspired eight films, the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and theme park attractions. Rowling also writes crime novels under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
Did You Know?
In the United States, the first book was renamed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, because the publisher thought American readers would find it more magical.