What Makes J.K. Rowling So Successful
Joanne Rowling, or known more with her pen name J.K. Rowling, received the OBE (Order of The British Empire) award from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in 2001 for her remarkable contribution to children’s literature. She was named as the UK’s best-selling living author and one of the world’s top-earning authors in 2014. Rowling also appeared on the Oprah show, delivered a speech at 2008 Harvard University commencement and made as a guest character in an episode of The Simpsons. She is the person behind the world-famous Harry Potter.
The Harry Potter books were translated into 73 languages, sold more than 450 million copies globally, and gained over $20 billion from sponsorships and movie adaptations. Harry Potter has now become a global brand, with $15 billion estimated net worth.
It was on July 31, 2016, that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was released worldwide. As J.K. Rowling mentioned on her Twitter, it is not a prequel or a new novel in addition to the previous 7 Harry Potter books in the series. It is a script co-written by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany, and J.K. Rowling for a play in the West End theatre. But, the fans do not care. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child becomes the most pre-ordered book in 2016 on Amazon. At the same time it becomes the most pre-ordered book on Barnes & Noble since 2007, when the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released.
It is indeed a huge achievement for someone who was once jobless, living on government’s fund, depressed and suicidal.
J.K Rowling’s success story is phenomenal. She has shifted from being a very poor person to a world billionaire in less than 10 years.
What is the secret behind J.K. Rowling’s success?
Here are some of J.K. Rowling’s personal traits that made her successful:
● J.K. Rowling is a dreamer
She has dreamt of being a novel writer since she knew what writers were, despite her parents’ opinion about it. J.K. Rowling dared to dream and never gave up on it.
● J.K. Rowling is goal-oriented
She focused on her goal to become a writer through all the adversities she experienced in her life. J.K. Rowling used to spend her time writing back when she was jobless. She maintained it by writing in her spare time when she had a job.
● J.K. Rowling is resilient
She’s been through difficult times in her life. But she always managed to rise and move forward. The manuscript of the first Harry Potter book was rejected by 12 publishers before finally, a small publisher agreed to publish it. She mentioned that she wouldn’t stop until every single publisher turned her down, but she was often afraid that would happen.
● J.K. Rowling is disciplined
She is a disciplined writer. She sets a schedule on when she does her writing and commits to it.
● J.K. Rowling is active towards ideas
The idea about Harry Potter came when she was on a delayed train journey from Manchester to King’s Cross station in London. It was then, when the main characters of the story, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, formed clearly in her mind. But it wasn’t until the next 6 years she finally finished and published the first book of the Harry Potter series. She didn’t stop merely on having ideas, she took action towards them.
● J.K. Rowling is strong-willed
She spent 6 years creating the entire plot of the Harry Potter story before finally came up with the first manuscript, Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone. She’s determined to work on her ideas despite her personal and financial issues at the time.
Despite being very wealthy right now, J.K. Rowling is still a humble and caring person as she used to be. Her hefty donation to charity apparently not only has won her many philanthropist awards, but has made her expelled from Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaire in 2012 as well. It didn’t stop her from giving to charity, though. Her humble beginning has somehow made her the way she is today. The world needs more J.K. Rowling.
PHOTO CREDIT: Troy Jarrel/Unsplash
