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{{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see ] -->
| name = J. K. Rowling
| image= Jk-rowling-crop.JPG
| caption = Rowling after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen, in 2006.
| birthname = Joanne<!--Her name does NOT contain "Kathleen"; see the section "Name"--> Rowling
| birthdate = {{Birth date and age|1965|7|31|df=yes}}
| birthplace = ], ], ]
| nationality = ]
| occupation = ]
| notableworks = '']'' series
| influences = <!-- There is already an article noting her influences, do not add any here -->
| website = http://www.jkrowling.com
}}
'''Joanne <!--Her name does NOT contain "Kathleen"; see the section "Name"--> "Jo" Rowling''' ]<ref> . ]. 17 June 2000. Accessed 25 October 2000.</ref> (born 31 July 1965),<ref>. Scholastic.com. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> who writes under the ] '''J. K. Rowling''',<ref name="Red-Nose-Day-BBC-Online-chat" /> is a ] <!--do not change to "English" or "Scottish" until issue is resolved --> ], best known as the creator of the '']'' ] series, the idea for which was conceived whilst on a train trip from ] to ] in 1990. The ''Potter'' books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Potter tops 400 million sales|author=Flood, Alison|work=theBookseller.com|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/61161-page.html|publisher=The Bookseller|date=2008-06-17|accessdate =2008-09-12}}</ref>

Aside from writing the ''Potter'' novels, Rowling is equally famous for her "rags to riches" life story, in which she progressed from living on welfare to multi-millionaire status within five years. The 2008 '']'' estimated Rowling's fortune at £560 million ($1.1 billion), ranking her as the twelfth richest woman in Britain.<!--

There are two links in that ref: one lists her ranking as a person, one lists her ranking as a woman.

--><ref name="richlist">; . '']''. 27 April 2008. Accessed 20 May 2008.</ref> '']'' ranked Rowling as the forty eighth most powerful celebrity of 2007,<ref>. '']''. 14 June 2007. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> and ] named her as a runner-up for its 2007 ], noting the social, moral, and ] she has given ].<ref>. '']''. 23 December 2007. Accessed 23 December 2007.</ref> She has become a notable ], supporting such charities as ], ] and the ].

==Name==
Although she writes under the ] "J. K. Rowling", pronounced ''rolling'' ({{IPA-en|ˈroʊlɪŋ}}),<ref name=bio> J. K. Rowling. From accio-quote.org. Accessed 28 April 2008</ref> her name when her first ''Harry Potter'' book was published was simply "Joanne Rowling". Before publishing her first book, her publisher ] feared that the target audience of young boys might be reluctant to buy books written by a female author. It requested that Rowling use two initials, rather than reveal her first name. As she had no middle name, she chose ''K''. for Kathleen as the second initial of her pseudonym, from her paternal grandmother. The name Kathleen has never been part of her real name.<ref name="Red-Nose-Day-BBC-Online-chat" /> Following her marriage, she sometimes uses the name ''Joanne Murray'' when conducting private matters.<ref name=david> . '']''. 7 August 2007. Accessed 21 August 2007.</ref><ref name=tatler> ''Tatler Magazine''. 10 January 2006. Accessed 25 April 2008.</ref> She calls herself "Jo" and says, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry."<ref>Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. . ''The Hogwarts Express''. 26 October 2000. Accessed 19 March 2006.</ref>

==Background==
Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling and Anne Rowling (née Volant) on 31 July 1965 in ], <!--Her birth certificate places her birth in Yate, not Chipping Sodbury, although the two towns are continuous--> ], ], {{convert|10|mi|km|+1}} northeast of ].<ref name="rowling-bio">. J.K. Rowling's Official Site. Accessed 17 March 2006.</ref> Her sister Dianne (Di) was born at their home on 28 June 1967<ref> Accessed 11 April 2008.</ref> when Rowling was 23 months old.<ref name="rowling-bio" /> The family moved to the nearby village ] when Rowling was four. She attended ],<ref>''Winterbourne Family History Online,'' - Rowling listed as admission No.305. Accessed 14 August 2006.</ref> a school founded almost 200 years ago by famed ] ]<ref>Bowyer, Jerry. . ]. 22 August 2007. Accessed 1 September 2007.</ref> and education reformer ]. Her elderly headmaster at St. Michael's, Alfred Dunn, was claimed as the inspiration for the ''Harry Potter'' character ].<ref>. winterbourne.freeuk.com. Accessed 1 September 2007.</ref><ref>. South Glos University Accessed 1 September 2007.</ref>

As a child, Rowling enjoyed writing fantasy stories, which she often read to her sister. "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it," she recalls, "Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee."<ref name=bio />

At the age of nine, Rowling moved to the Gloucestershire village of ], close to ], ].<ref name="rowling-bio" /> When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind", gave her a very old copy of ]'s autobiography, ''].''<ref name=hons>Rowling, JK. . '']''. 26 November 2006. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.<ref name=harryandme>Fraser, Lindsey. . '']''. 2 November 2002: interview with Rowling, edited excerpt from ''Conversations with J.K. Rowling''. </ref>

She attended secondary school at ]. Rowling has said of her adolescence, "] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of."<ref>Feldman, Roxanne. , ''School Library Journal'', September 1999.</ref> Sean Harris, her best friend in the ] owned a turquoise ], which she says inspired the one in her books. "Ron Weasley isn't a living portrait of Sean, but he really is very Sean-ish."<ref>Fraser, Lindsey. ''Conversations with J.K. Rowling'', pg 19–20, Scholastic.</ref> Of her musical tastes of the time, she said "My favourite group in the world is ]. And when I was going through a punky phase, it was ]."<ref>Fraser, Lindsey. ''Conversations with J.K. Rowling,'' pg 29 Scholastic.</ref> Rowling read for a BA in ] and ] at the ], which she says was a "bit of a shock" as she "was expecting to be amongst lots of similar people– thinking radical thoughts." Once she made friends with "some like-minded people" she says she began to enjoy herself.<ref name=fraser34>Fraser, Lindsey. ''Conversations with J.K. Rowling'', pg 34 Scholastic.</ref> With a year of study in ], Rowling moved to ] to work as a researcher and bilingual secretary for ].<ref>Norman-Culp, Sheila. . Associated Press. 1998. Accessed 6 December 2007.</ref>

In 1990, while she was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from ] to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry "came fully formed" into her mind.<ref name=loer/> "I really don't know where the idea came from", she told the '']'', "It started with Harry, then all these characters and situations came flooding into my head."<ref name=loer>Loer, Stephanie. . '']''. 18 October 1999. Accessed 10 October 2007.</ref><ref name="rowling-bio" /> When she had reached her ] flat, she began to write immediately.<ref name="rowling-bio" /><ref> . BBC Christmas Special. 13 November 2002. Accessed 25 February 2007.</ref>

However, in December of that year, Rowling’s mother died, after her ten-year battle with ].<ref name="rowling-bio"/> Rowling commented, "I was writing ''Harry Potter'' at the moment my mother died. I had never told her about ''Harry Potter''."<ref name=tatler>Greig, Geordie. . '']''. 10 January 2006. Accessed 10 January 2006. in '']''.</ref> Rowling said this death heavily affected her writing<ref>J.K. Rowling's Official Site, . Accessed 22 March 2006.</ref><ref name=tatler /> and that she introduced much more detail about Harry's loss in the first book, because she knew about how it felt.<ref> . '']'', Channel Four Corporation (UK). 26 June 2006. Accessed 4 July 2006.</ref>

Rowling then moved to ], ] to teach English as a foreign language.<ref name=harryandme /> While there, on 16 October 1992, she married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes. Their one child, Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after ]), was born on 27 July 1993 in Portugal.<ref name="Scotsman" /> They separated in November 1993.<ref name="Scotsman" /><ref> Weeks, Linton. . '']''. 20 October 1999. Accessed 21 March 2006.</ref> In December 1994, Rowling and her daughter moved to be near her sister in ], ].<ref name="rowling-bio" /> During this period Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression, and contemplated suicide.<ref name="cnn23mar08"> . CNN. 23 March 2008. Accessed 23 March 2008.</ref> It was the feeling of her illness which brought her the idea of ], soulless creatures featured in ''Harry Potter''.<ref>. ]. 18 February 2003. Accessed 30 December 2007.</ref>

Unemployed and living on state benefits, Rowling completed her first novel in many cafés, especially Nicolson's Café,<ref name="dole"></ref> whenever she could get Jessica to fall asleep.<ref name="rowling-bio" /><ref name="hpandme"> . BBC Christmas Special. 28 December 2001. Transcribed by "Marvelous Marvolo" and Jimmi Thøgersen. ''Quick Quotes Quill.org''. Accessed 17 March 2006.</ref> In a 2001 BBC interview, Rowling denied the rumour that she wrote in local cafés to escape from her unheated flat, remarking, "I am not stupid enough to rent an unheated flat in Edinburgh in midwinter. It had heating." Instead, as she stated on the American TV program '']'', one of the reasons she wrote in cafés was because taking her baby out for a walk was the best way to make her fall asleep.<ref name="hpandme" />

==''Harry Potter''==
===''Harry Potter'' books===
{{main|Harry Potter}}
<!--Please note: the four booklets Rowling composed for charity are listed in the "Charity" section-->
In 1995, Rowling finished her manuscript for '']'' on an old manual typewriter.<ref>Riccio, Heather. . ''Hilary Magazine''. Accessed 26 October 2007.</ref> Upon the enthusiastic response of Bryony Evans, a reader who had been asked to review the book’s first three chapters, the Fulham-based ] agreed to represent Rowling in her quest for a publisher. The book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected the manuscript.<ref name="Scotsman">McGinty, Stephen. . '']''. 16 June 2003. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> A year later she was finally given the green light (and a £1500 advance) by editor Barry Cunningham from ], a small British publishing house in London, England.<ref>. ]. Accessed 25 March 2006.</ref><ref name="Scotsman" /> The decision to publish Rowling's book apparently owes much to Alice Newton, the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury’s chairman, who was given the first chapter to review by her father and immediately demanded the next.<ref name="Eight year old saves Potter">Lawless, John. . '']''. 3 July 2005. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> Although Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book, Cunningham says that he advised Rowling to get a day job, since she had little chance of making money in children’s books.<ref>Blais, Jacqueline. . wkyc.com. 7 July 2005. Accessed 9 April 2006.</ref> Soon after, in 1997, Rowling received an £8000 grant from the ] to enable her to continue writing.<ref>. hpna.com. 30 November 2003. Accessed 9 April 2006.</ref> The following spring, an auction was held in the United States for the rights to publish the novel, and was won by ], for $105,000. Rowling has said she “nearly died” when she heard the news.<ref>Reynolds, Nigel. . '']''. 7 July 1997. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref>

In June 1997, Bloomsbury published ''Philosopher’s<!-- DO NOT change to Sorcerer's--> Stone'' with an initial print-run of 1000 copies, five hundred of which were distributed to libraries. Today, such copies are valued between £16,000 and £25,000.<ref>Kleffel, Rick. . metroactive.com. 22 July 2005. Accessed 9 April 2006.</ref> Five months later, the book won its first award, a ]. In February, the novel won the prestigious ] for ], and later, the Children’s Book Award. Its sequel, '']'', was published in July, 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=Harry Potter books timeline|work=Bloomsbury|year=2008|url=http://www.bloomsbury.com/harrypotter/default.aspx?sec=2&sec2=4|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> In October 1998, Scholastic published ''Philosopher’s<!-- DO NOT change to Sorcerer's--> Stone'' in the US under the title of ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone'': a change Rowling claims she now regrets and would have fought if she had been in a better position at the time.<ref name="Red-Nose-Day-BBC-Online-chat"> , BBC Online, 12 March 2001, The Burrow. Accessed 16 April 2008.</ref>

In December 1999, the third novel, '']'', won the Smarties Prize, making Rowling the first person to win the award three times running.<ref>. ]. 1 December 1999. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> She later withdrew the fourth ''Harry Potter'' novel from contention to allow other books a fair chance. In January 2000, ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' won the inaugural ], though it lost the Book of the Year prize to ]’s translation of '']''.<ref>Gibbons, Fiachra. . '']''. 26 January 2000. Accessed 19 March 2006.</ref>

The fourth book, ''],'' was released simultaneously in the UK and the US on 8 July 2000, and broke sales records in both countries. Some 372,775 copies of the book were sold in its first day in the UK, almost equalling the number ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' sold during its first year.<ref name= culture> . Reuters/PRNewswire. 11 July 2000. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> In the US, the book sold three million copies in its first 48 hours, smashing all literary sales records.<ref name= culture /> Rowling admitted that she had had a moment of crisis while writing the novel; "Halfway through writing Four, I realised there was a serious fault with the plot ... I've had some of my blackest moments with this book ... One chapter I rewrote 13 times, though no-one who has read it can spot which one or know the pain it caused me."<ref>Johnstone, Anne. . '']''. 8 July 2000. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> Rowling was named author of the year in the 2000 British Book Awards.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Book Awards: Previous Winners & Shortlists|url=http://www.britishbookawards.co.uk/pnbb_previouswinners.asp?}} Accessed: 24 November 2007</ref>

A wait of three years occurred between the release of ''Goblet of Fire'' and the fifth ''Harry Potter'' novel, '']''. This gap led to press speculation that Rowling had developed ], speculations she fervently denied.<ref> . ]. 8 August 2001. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> Rowling later admitted that writing the book was a chore. "I think Phoenix could have been shorter", she told ], "I knew that, and I ran out of time and energy toward the end."<ref>Grossman, Lev. . '']''. 17 July 2005. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref>

The sixth book, '']'', was released on 16 July 2005. It too broke all sales records, selling nine million copies in its first 24 hours of release.<ref>. ]. 18 July 2005. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> While writing, she told a fan online, "Book six has been planned for years, but before I started writing seriously I spend two months re-visiting the plan and making absolutely sure I knew what I was doing."<ref>. 4 March 2004. ]. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> She noted on her website that the opening chapter of book six, which features a conversation between the ] and the ], had been intended as the first chapter first for ''Philosopher's Stone'', then ''Chamber of Secrets'' then ''Prisoner of Azkaban''.<ref> J. K. Rowling's Official Site. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> In 2006, ''Half-Blood Prince'' received the ] prize at the ].<ref name="bba">{{cite web|url=http://www.britishbookawards.co.uk/pnbb_shortlist2006.asp?|title=Winners & Shortlists 2006|publisher=Publishing News}}Accessed 24 November 2007.</ref>

The title of the seventh and final ''Harry Potter'' book was revealed 21 December 2006 to be '']''.<ref>Press Release. . ]. 21 December 2006. Accessed 7 July 2007.</ref> In February 2007 it was reported that Rowling wrote on a bust in her hotel room at the ] in ] that she had finished the seventh book in that room on 11 January 2007.<ref>Cornwell, Tim.. '']''. 3 February 2007. Accessed 7 February 2007.</ref> ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' was released on 21 July 2007 (0:00 ]) and broke its predecessor's record as the fastest-selling book of all time.<ref name="sales" /> It sold 11 million copies in the first day of release in the United Kingdom and United States.<ref name="sales"/> She has said that the last chapter of the book was written "in something like 1990", as part of her earliest work on the entire series.<ref name="last chapter">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5119836.stm|title=Rowling to kill two in final book|publisher=]}}27 June 2006. Accessed 25 July 2007.</ref> During a year period when Rowling was completing the last book, she allowed herself to be filmed for a documentary which aired in Britain on ] on 30 December 2007. It was entitled ''J K Rowling... A Year In The Life'' and showed her returning to her old Edinburgh tenement flat where she lived, and completed the first ''Harry Potter'' book.<ref name="returns">Hastings, Chris. . '']''. 24 December 2007. Accessed 24 December 2007.</ref> Re-visiting the flat for the first time reduced her to tears, saying it was "really where I turned my life around completely."<ref name="returns"/>

''Harry Potter'' is now a global brand worth an estimated £7 billion (]15 billion),<ref>. Advertising Age. Accessed 7 November 2007</ref> and the last four ''Harry Potter'' books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.<ref>Pauli, Michelle. "". '']''; "". ]. Accessed 4 August 2007.</ref><ref name="sales">. ]. 23 July 2007. Accessed on 27 July 2007.</ref> The series, totalling 4,195 pages,<ref>Sawyer, Jenny. . '']''. 25 July 2007. Accessed 27 July 2007.</ref> has been translated, in whole or in part, into 65 languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/06/29/final_harry_potter_is_expected_to_set_record/|title= Final Harry Potter is expected to set record|work=]}} 29 June 2007. Accessed 29 June 2007.</ref>

The ''Harry Potter'' books have also gained recognition for sparking an interest in reading among the young at a time when children were thought to be abandoning books for computers and television,<ref>. Scholastic. 25 July 2006. Accessed 10 February 2007.</ref> although the series' overall impact on children's reading habits has been questioned.<ref>Mehegan, David. {{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2007/07/09/in_end_potter_magic_extends_only_so_far/?page=1|title= In end, Potter magic extends only so far|work=]}} 9 July 2007. Accessed 1 April 2008.</ref>

===''Harry Potter'' films===
{{main|Harry Potter film series}}
In October 1998, ] purchased the film rights to the first two novels for a seven-figure sum.<ref>Walker, Andrew. . '']''. 9 October 1998. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> A film version of '']''<!-- DO NOT change to Sorceror--> was released on 16 November 2001, and '']'' on 15 November 2002.<ref name=mojo>. Box Office Mojo. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> Both were directed by ]. 4 June 2004 saw the release of the film version of '']'', directed by ]. The fourth film, '']'', was directed by another new director, ], and released on 18 November 2005. The film of '']'' was released on 11 July 2007.<ref name=mojo /> ] directed, and ] wrote the screenplay, having taken over the position from ]. '']'' is in production,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/9/19/half-blood-prince-filming-news-threat-of-strike-to-affect-harry-potter-six|title="Half-Blood Prince" Filming News: Threat of Strike to Affect Harry Potter Six?|accessdate=|publisher=The Leaky Cauldron}}19 September 2007. Accessed 19 September 2007.</ref> scheduled for release on 17 July 2009.<ref>{{cite news|title=Half-Blood Prince release delayed until July, 2009, studio says|work=Reuters|year=2008|url=http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=730408|accessdate=2008-08-23}}</ref> David Yates will direct again, and Kloves will return to screenwrite it.<ref>Fienberg, Daniel. . '']''. 16 November 2004. Accessed 30 March 2007; Spelling, Ian. . Sci Fi Wire. 3 May 2007.</ref> In March 2008, Warner Bros. announced that the final instalment of the series, '']'', would be filmed in two segments, with part one released in November 2010 and part two released in May 2011. Yates would again return to direct both films.<ref>{{cite web|title=Final 'Harry Potter' book will be split into two movies|work=Los Angeles Times|Jeff Boucher|date=13 March, 2008|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-potter13mar13,1,5626063.story|accessdate=}} Accessed 13 March 2008.</ref>

Warner Bros took considerable notice of Rowling's desires and thoughts when drafting her contract. One of her principal stipulations was the films be shot in Britain with an all-British cast, which has been adhered to strictly.<ref>Treneman, Ann. . '']''. 30 June 2000. Accessed 26 July 2006.</ref> In an unprecedented move, Rowling also demanded that ], the victor in the race to ] their products to the film series, donate $18 million to the American charity ], as well as a number of community charity programs.<ref> . ]. 9 October 2001. Accessed 26 July 2006.</ref>

The first four films were scripted by Steve Kloves; Rowling assisted him in the writing process, ensuring that his scripts did not contradict future books in the series. She has said that she told him more about the later books than anybody else (prior to their release), but not everything.<ref>Mzimba, Lizo, moderator. . BBC Newsround. February 2003. Accessed 21 March 2006.</ref> She has also said that she told ] (]) and ] (]) certain secrets about their characters before they were revealed in the books.<ref>. ''CBBC Newsround''. 2 November 2001. Accessed 21 March 2006.</ref> ] (]) asked her if Harry died at any point in the series; Rowling answered him by saying, "You have a death scene", thereby not explicitly answering the question.<ref>. '']''. 27 July 2007. Accessed 21 August 2007.</ref> ] was approached to direct the first film, but dropped out. The press has repeatedly claimed that Rowling played a role in his departure, but Rowling stated that she has no say in who directs the films and would not have vetoed Spielberg if she had.<ref> . J. K. Rowling's official site. Accessed 3 April 2006.</ref> Rowling's first choice for the director had been ] member ], as she is a fan of his work. Warner Bros. wanted a more family friendly film, and eventually they settled on ].<ref>. Wizard News. 29 August 2005. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref>

===After ''Harry Potter''===
<!--

NOTE: The Tales of Beedle the Bard and the Harry Potter prequel are mentioned in the Philanthropy section

-->
Rowling has stated that she plans to continue writing after the publication of the final ''Harry Potter'' book, '']'',<ref>. Radio 4. 10 December 2005. Accessed 21 March 2006</ref> In an interview with ] in 2005, Rowling claimed that she would much prefer to write any subsequent books under a pseudonym; however she conceded to ] in 2003 that if she did, the press would probably "find out in seconds."<ref>{{cite web|title=JK's OOTP interview|work=Newsnight|year=2003|url=http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2003/0619-bbcnews-paxman.htm|accessdate=}} Accessed 20 May 2008.
* {{cite web|title="Living with Harry Potter"|work=BBC Radio 4|year=2005|url=http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2005/1205-bbc-fry.html|accessdate=}} Accessed 20 May 2008.</ref> In 2006, Rowling revealed that she had finished writing a few short stories and another children's book (a "political fairy story") about a monster, aimed at a younger audience than ''Harry Potter'' readers.<ref> . in.rediff.com. 11 January 2006. Accessed 19 March 2006.</ref>

She is not planning to write an eighth ''Harry Potter'' book, and has stated, "I can't say I'll never write another book about that world just because I think, what do I know, in ten years' time I might want to return to it but I think it's unlikely."<ref>. 6 July 2007. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> However, Rowling has said she will be writing an encyclopaedia of ''Harry Potter'''s ] consisting of various unpublished material and notes.<ref>Brown, Jen. . ]. 24 July 2007. Accessed 25 July 2007.</ref> Any profits from such a book would be given to charity.<ref>. J. K. Rowling official site. Accessed 10 April 2006.</ref> During a news conference at Hollywood's ] in 2007, Rowling, when asked how the encyclopaedia was coming along, said, "It's not coming along, and I haven't started writing it. I never said it was the next thing I'd do."<ref>{{cite web|title=J.K. Rowling brings magic touch to U.S.|url=http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:Em3zZ6XvFd4J:www.calendarlive.com/books/cl-et-rowling16oct16,0,7011068.story|
author=David L. Ulin|work=]|}} 16 October 2007. Accessed 30 October 2007.</ref> As of the end of 2007, Rowling has said that the encyclopaedia could take up to ten years to complete, stating "There is no point in doing it unless it is amazing. The last thing I want to do is to rush ­something out".<ref name="returns"/>

In July 2007, Rowling said that she wants to dedicate "lots" of her time to her family, but is currently "sort of writing two things", one for children and the other for adults.<ref name=USAToday200707>Memmott, Carol. . '']''. 25 July 2007. Accessed 26 July 2007.</ref> She did not give any details about the two projects but did state that she was excited because the two book situation reminded her of writing the ''Philosopher's Stone'', explaining how she was then writing two books until Harry took over.<ref>. '']''. 27 July 2007. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> She stated in October 2007 that her future work was unlikely to be in the fantasy genre, explaining, "I think probably I've done my fantasy....it would be incredibly difficult to go out and create another world that didn't in some way overlap with Harry's or maybe borrow a little too much from Harry."<ref>Topel, Fred. {{cite web|title='Harry Potter' Author J.K. Rowling Enchants Readers on Her U.S. Book Tour|work=]|url=http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/movies/news/n13576.htm|year=2007}} Accessed 30 October 2007.</ref> In November 2007, Rowling said that she was working on another book, a "half-finished book for children that I think will probably be the next thing I publish."<ref>{{cite web|title=Rowling completes post-Harry Potter book|work=Associated Press|url=http://omg.yahoo.com/rowling-completes-post-harry-potter-book/news/3619}} 1 November 2007. Accessed 2 November 2007</ref> In March 2008, Rowling confirmed that her "political fairy tale" for children was nearing completion.<ref>{{cite news | title=JK Rowling in court over photo of son | url =http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment/JK-Rowling-in-court-over.3861605.jp | work =The Scotsman | }} 10 March 2008. Accessed 18 March 2008.</ref>

In March 2008, Rowling revealed in interview that she had returned to writing in Edinburgh cafés, intent on composing a new novel for children. "I will continue writing for children because that's what I enjoy," she told '']''. "I am very good at finding a suitable café; I blend into the crowd and, of course, I don't sit in the middle of the bar staring all around me."<ref>{{cite web|title=New adventure is child's play for Jo|author=Richard Eden|work=]|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/03/02/dp0201.xml
|}} 2 March 2008. Accessed 3 March 2008.</ref>

==Personal life==
''Forbes'' has named Rowling as the first person to become a U.S.-dollar billionaire by writing books,<ref>Watson, Julie and Kellner, Tomas. . '']''. 26 February 2004. Accessed 19 March 2006.</ref> the second-richest female entertainer and the 1,062nd richest person in the world.<ref>. ]. Accessed 16 March 2008; . Contact Music. Accessed 20 January 2007.</ref> When first listed as a billionaire by ''Forbes'' in 2004, Rowling disputed the calculations and said she had plenty of money, but was not a billionaire.<ref>. ]. Accessed 9 August 2007.</ref> In addition, the 2008 '']'' named Rowling the 144th richest person in Britain.<ref name="richlist"/> In 2001, Rowling purchased a luxurious nineteenth-century ], ], on the banks of the ], near ], in ], Scotland.<ref>Nichols, Michelle. . '']''. 22 November 2001. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> Rowling also owns a home in ], ], and a £4.5 million ($9 million) ] house in ], West London,<ref name=dailymail>Boshoff, Alison. . '']''. 24 August 2006. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> on a street with 24-hour security.<ref>Collinson, Patrick. . '']''. 26 April 2005. Accessed 29 October 2007.</ref>

On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Michael Murray (born 30 June 1971), an ], in a private ceremony at her Aberfeldy home.<ref> . ]. 30 December 2001. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> This was a second marriage for both Rowling and Murray, as Murray had previously been married to Dr. Fiona Duncan in 1996. Murray and Duncan separated in 1999 and ]d in the summer of 2001. Rowling and Murray's son David Gordon Rowling Murray was born on 24 March 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2883095.stm|title=Baby joy for JK Rowling|work= ]}} 24 March 2003. Accessed 25 May 2007</ref> Shortly after Rowling began writing ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' she took a break from working on the novel to care for him in his early infancy.<ref>J.K. Rowling's Official Site, . 15 March 2004. Accessed 22 March 2006.</ref> Rowling's youngest child, daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, to whom she dedicated '']'', was born 23 January 2005.<ref> J.K. Rowling's Official Site, . Accessed 25 January 2005.</ref>

Rowling is a member of the ]. She once said, "I believe in God, not magic."<ref>Nelson, Michael. . '']''. 25 February 2002. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> Early on she felt that if readers knew of her ] beliefs, they would be able to "guess what is coming in the books."<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/1000-vancouversun-wyman.htm|title='You can lead a fool to a book but you can't make them think'|newspaper=Vancouver Sun|last=Wyman|first=Max|}} 26 October 2000. Accessed 29 October 2007.</ref> Rowling has stated that she struggles with her own beliefs. In an interview with the '']'' in July 2007, she said, "...until we reached Book Seven, views of what happens after death and so on...would give away a lot of what was coming. So ... yes, my belief and my struggling with religious belief and so on I think is quite apparent in this book."<ref>Viera, Meredith.. ]. Accessed 30 July 2007.</ref>

Rowling commented on her political views when she discussed the ] with the Spanish-language newspaper '']''. She said she is obsessed with the United States elections because they will have a profound effect on the rest of the world. As of February 2008, she has said that both ] and ] would be "extraordinary" in the White House. In the same interview, she also said her hero was ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/Ser/invisible/seria/elpepicul/20080208elpepicul_1/Tes|title=Ser invisible... eso sería lo más|accessdate=|last=Cruz|first=Juan|publisher=]|language=Spanish|date=2008-02-08|accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/184525,jk-rowling-wants-to-see-a-democrat-in-the-white.html |date=2008-02-08 |title=JK Rowling wants to see a Democrat in the White House |accessdate=2008-08-02 |publisher=The Earth Times |language=English }}</ref>

Rowling has received honorary degrees from ], the ], ], and the ].<ref>{{cite web|title= JK Rowling receives honorary degree|author=David Cribb|year=2006|work=digital spy|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a34635/jk-rowling-receives-honorary-degree.html}} Accessed 6 June 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling receives Honorary Degree|work=University of Aberdeen|url=http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mediareleases/release.php?id=638|year=2006}} Accessed 6 June 2008.</ref>
On 5 June 2008, Rowling spoke at the ] commencement ceremony where she received another honorary degree.<ref>{{cite web|title= J. K. Rowling To Speak at Commencement|author=CLAIRE M. GUEHENNO and LAURENCE H. M. HOLLAND |year=2008|work=The Harvard Crimson|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=521567}} Accessed 6 June 2008.</ref>

==Relationship with the press==
Rowling has had a difficult relationship with the press. She admits to being "thin-skinned" and dislikes the fickle nature of reporting. "They went in one day from saying, 'She’s got writer’s block' to saying, 'She's been self-indulgent'", she told ''The Times'' in 2003, "And I thought, well, what a difference 24 hours makes." However, Rowling disputes her reputation as a recluse who hates to be interviewed.<ref name=Treneman>Treneman, Ann. . '']''. 20 June 2003. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> In 2001, the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint by Rowling over a series of unauthorised photographs of her with her daughter on the beach in ] published in '']''.<ref>. pcc.org.uk. 2001. Accessed 8 December 2007.</ref> In 2007, Rowling's young son, David, assisted by Rowling and her husband, lost a court fight to ban publication of a photograph of him. The photo, taken by a photographer using a long-range lens, was subsequently published in a '']'' article featuring Rowling's family life and motherhood.<ref name=david /> However, the judgment was overturned in David's favour in May 2008.<ref>Rozenberg, Joshua. . '']''. 2008. Accessed 8 May 2008. </ref><ref>{{Cite BAILII|
|litigants=David Murray (by his litigation friends Neil Murray and Joanne Murray) v Big Pictures (UK) Limited
|country=ew
|court=EWCA
|division=Civ
|num=446
|year=2008}}. Accessed 7 May 2008.</ref>

Rowling has said she particularly dislikes the British tabloid '']'', which made references to a stalker Rowling insists does not exist, and conducted interviews with her estranged ex-husband. As one journalist noted, "Harry's ] is a grotesque philistine of violent tendencies and remarkably little brain. It is not difficult to guess which newspaper Rowling gives him to read ]'']."<ref name=vernon>Lockerbie, Catherine. {{cite web|title="All aboard the Hogwarts Express"|work=]|url=http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/0700-scotsman-lockerbie.html}} 11 July 2000. Accessed 30 October 2007.</ref>

Some have speculated that Rowling's fraught relationship with the press was the inspiration behind the character ]. However, Rowling noted in 2000 that the character actually predates her rise to fame: "People have asked me whether Rita Skeeter was invented , but in fact she was always planned."<ref>{{cite web|title="About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com"|url=http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/author/interview2.htm|}} 16 October 2000. Accessed 30 October 2007.</ref> "I tried to put Rita in ''Philosopher's Stone'' - you know when Harry walks into the Leaky Cauldron for the first time and everyone says, "Mr Potter you're back!", I wanted to put a journalist in there. She wasn't called Rita then but she was a woman. And then I thought, as I looked at the plot overall, I thought, that's not really where she fits best, she fits best in Four when Harry's supposed to come to terms with his fame."<ref>. ''BBC Newsround''. 2000. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref>

==Philanthropy==
In 2000, Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, which uses its annual budget of £5.1 million to combat ] and social inequality. The fund also gives to organizations that aid children, one parent families, and multiple sclerosis research.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Volant Charitable Trust (UK and overseas)|work=Merseyside Funding|year=|url=http://www.mfip.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1085&Itemid=27|}} Accessed 19 January 2008.</ref> Rowling said, "I think you have a moral responsibility when you've been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently."<ref name=USAToday200707 />
===Anti-poverty===
Rowling, once a single parent herself, is now president of the charity ], having already become their first Ambassador in 2000.<ref name="OPF">{{cite web|url=http://www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk/|title=One Parent Families Gingerbread|work=OneParentFamilies|}}. Accessed 11 July 2007.</ref><ref> . oneparentfamilies.org. 16 November 2004. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> Rowling collaborated with ], wife of British Prime Minister ], to write a book of children's stories to aid One Parent Families.<ref> . '']''. 13 May 2007. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref>

In 2001, the UK anti-poverty fundraiser ] asked three bestselling British authors – cookery writer and TV presenter ], ] creator ], and Rowling – to submit booklets related to their most famous works for publication.<ref>Goodson, Rory and Chittenden, Maurice. . '']''. 7 January 2001. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> Rowling's two booklets, '']'' and '']'', are ostensibly facsimiles of books found in the ] library. Since going on sale in March 2001, the books have raised £15.7 million ($30 million) for the fund. The £10.8 million ($20 million) they have raised outside the UK have been channeled into a newly created International Fund for Children and Young People in Crisis.<ref>. Comic Relief. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref>

In 2005, Rowling and ] ] founded the Children's High Level Group.<ref>{{cite web|title=Children's High Level Group|url=http://www.chlg.org/who-we-are.asp|publisher=The Children's Voice}} Accessed 1 November 2007.</ref> In January 2006, Rowling went to ] to highlight the use of caged beds in children's ]s.<ref> . J.K. Rowling's Official Site. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref> To further support the CHLG, Rowling auctioned one of seven handwritten and illustrated copies of '']'', a series of fairy tales referred to in ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows''. The book was purchased for £1.95 million by on-line bookseller ] on 13 December 2007, becoming the most expensive modern book ever sold at auction.<ref name=india>{{cite web|title=
JK Rowling Fairy Tales To Go On Sale For Charity|work=ANI|year=2008|url=http://living.oneindia.in/insync/2008/harry-potter-jk-rowling-charity-020808.html
|accessdate=2008-08-02}}</ref><ref name="fetches">. ]. 13 December 2007. Accessed 13 December 2007.</ref><ref>. ]. Accessed 14 December 2007.</ref> Rowling commented "This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help. It means Christmas has come early to me."<ref name="fetches"/><ref>Majendie, Paul. . ]. 1 November 2007. Accessed 1 November 2007.</ref> Rowling will give away the remaining six copies to those who have a close connection with the ''Harry Potter'' books.<ref name="fetches"/> In 2008, Rowling agreed to publish the book with the proceeds going to the Children's High Level Group.<ref name=india/>

===Political donation===
In September 2008, on the eve of the ], Rowling announced that she had donated £1&nbsp;million to the ], saying in a statement that, "I believe that poor and vulnerable families will fare much better under the Labour Party than they would under a Cameron-led Conservative Party. Gordon Brown has consistently prioritised and introduced measures that will save as many children as possible from a life lacking in opportunity or choice. The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty. David Cameron's promise of tax perks for the married, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the Conservative government I experienced as a lone parent. It sends the message that the Conservatives still believe a childless, dual-income, but married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times."<ref>{{cite web|title=Harry Potter author JK Rowling gives £1 million to Labour|author=Ben Leach|year=2008|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/3021309/Harry-Potter-author-JK-Rowling-gives-1-million-to-Labour.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=2008-09-20}}</ref>
===Other philanthropic work===
In May 2008, bookseller ] asked Rowling and 12 other writers (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]) to compose a short piece of their own choosing on a single ] card, which would then be sold at auction in aid of the charities Dyslexia Action and English ]. Rowling's contribution was an 800-word ] that concerns Harry's father, ] and godfather, ], and takes place three years before Harry was born.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rowling pens Potter prequel for charities|author=Rachel Williams|year=2008|work=]|url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/harrypotter/story/0,,2282533,00.html|}} Accessed 31 May 2008.</ref><ref name=prequel>{{cite web|title=Waterstones Charity Auction|author=JK Rowling|work=jkrowling.com|url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=106|}} Accessed 31 May 2008.</ref> Rowling claims that she does not intend to return to ''Harry Potter'' for at least ten years.<ref>{{cite web|title=JK Rowling pens a Harry Potter prequel|author=Anita Singh|work=]|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2044760/JK-Rowling-pens-a-Harry-Potter-prequel.html
|year=2008|}} Accessed 29 May 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=JK Rowling Writes Harry Potter 'Prequel'|work=Sky News|year=2008|url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20080529/tuk-jk-rowling-writes-harry-potter-prequ-45dbed5.html|}} Accessed 29 May 2008.</ref> The cards will be collected together and sold for charity in book form in August 2008.<ref name=prequel/>

Rowling has contributed money and support for research and treatment of ], from which her mother died in 1990. In 2006, Rowling contributed a substantial sum toward the creation of a new Centre for Regenerative Medicine at ].<ref>MS Society, Scotland . ''Edinburgh Research and Innovation, University of Edinburgh''. 21 April 2006. Accessed 10 June 2006.</ref> On 1 August and 2 August 2006 she read alongside ] and ] at ] in New York City. Profits from the event were donated to the Haven Foundation, a charity that aids artists and performers left uninsurable and unable to work, and the medical ] ].<ref>. Scholastic. 2006. Accessed 25 October 2007.</ref> In May 2007, Rowling gave $495,000 to a reward fund of over $4.5 million for the safe return of a young British girl, ], who disappeared in Portugal.<ref>. ]. 13 May 2007. Accessed 14 May 2007.</ref><ref name="safe">. ]. 14 May 2007. Accessed 14 May 2007.</ref> Rowling, along with ], ], and ], wrote an introduction to a collection of Gordon Brown's speeches, the proceeds of which are donated to the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory.<ref> . ]. 5 April 2006. Accessed 20 October 2007.</ref>

==Legal disputes==
{{main|Legal disputes over Harry Potter}}
Rowling, her publishers and ], the owner of the rights to the ], have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright, and also have fielded accusations of copyright theft themselves.<ref name="Potter author zaps court rival">{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/UK/09/19/rowling.court/index.html|publisher=]|title=Potter author zaps court rival|date=2002-09-19|accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> The worldwide popularity of the ''Harry Potter'' series has led to the appearance of a number of locally produced, unauthorised sequels and other derivative works, sparking efforts to ban or contain them.<ref name=yemets><span class="plainlinks">. , 13 March 2003. Accessed 21 March 2006.</span>" </ref> While these legal proceedings have countered a number of cases of outright piracy,<ref name=walkup>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2092661.stm|publisher=]|title=Fake Harry Potter novel hits China|date=2002-07-04|accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> other attempts have targeted not-for-profit endeavours and have been criticised as a result as too draconian.<ref>{{cite web|title=Warner Brothers bullying ruins Field family Xmas|author=Kieren McCarthy|work=The Register|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/12/21/warner_brothers_bullying_ruins_field/ |year=2000|accessdate=2007-05-03}}</ref>

Another area of legal dispute involves a series of injunctions obtained by Rowling and her publishers to prohibit anyone from reading her books before their official release date. These injunctions have very sweeping powers and have occasionally drawn fire from civil liberties and free speech campaigners and sparked debates over the "right to read".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://stallman.org/harry-potter.html|title=Don't Buy Harry Potter Books|date=2005-07-13|accessdate=2007-03-13|author=Richard Stallman|work=stallman.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Harry Potter and the Right to Read|author=Michael Geist|url=http://www.michaelgeist.ca/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=896|year=2005|accessdate=2007-10-12}}</ref> The powers afforded by these injunctions have even been used in subsequent cases unrelated to publishing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Harry Potter and the Injunctions against Trespassers|work=Winterbotham's Solicitors|url=http://www.winterbothams.com/pages/news_article.php?id=24|year=2004|accessdate=2007-05-30}}</ref>

==Publications==
;Harry Potter series
# '']'' (26 June 1997)
# '']'' (2 July 1998)
# '']'' (8 July 1999)
# '']'' (8 July 2000)
# '']'' (21 June 2003)
# '']'' (16 July 2005)
# '']'' (21 July 2007)

;Other books
* '']'' (supplement to the Potter series) (2001)
* '']'' (supplement to the Potter series) (2001)
* '']'' (4 December 2008, also publicly displayed by Amazon.com) (2007)

;Articles
* "The First It Girl: J.K. Rowling reviews ''Decca: the Letters of ]'' ed by Peter Y Sussman", '']'' 26 July 2006
* Introduction to "Ending Child Poverty" in ''Moving Britain Forward. Selected Speeches 1997–2006'' by ], Bloomsbury (2006)
* Foreword to the anthology ''Magic'', edited by Gil McNeil and ], Bloomsbury (2002)
* , J.K. Rowling, Harvard Magazine, 5 June 2008

==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
<!-- Dead note "film6-imdb": {{imdb title|id=0417741|title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}} : not actually cited at the moment, but there just in case-->

==External links==
{{commons|J. K. Rowling}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{hpw|J._K._Rowling}}
*
* (]-heavy, with ]s; )
* : Rowling's article on Jessica Mitford for ''The Telegraph''
*
* of Rowling's speech at ]'s 2008 ].
* {{isfdb name|id=J._K._Rowling|name=J. K. Rowling}}
* {{imdb name | id=0746830 | name=J.K. Rowling}}
* {{IBList |type=author|id=146|name=J.K. Rowling}}

{{harrypotter}}
<!-- Metadata: see ] -->

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|PSEUDONYM=J. K. Rowling
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=English writer. Author of the ] series
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|PLACE OF BIRTH=], ], ]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowling, J. K.}}
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Revision as of 12:46, 21 October 2008