JK Rowling is a successful British novelist and producer who’s responsible for the making of Harry Potter, which is a hit fantasy series. In this article, let’s take a look at JK Rowling’s net worth in 2022.
JK Rowling’s Net Worth in 2022 (Estimate): $1 billion
JK Rowling’s net worth in 2022 is $1 billion. This is according to numerous reputable outlets such as Celebrity Net Worth.
JK Rowling was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. Rowling sparked her interest in writing when she would tell her sister about her works as a kid. She was also a dedicated bookworm.
According to her website, she claims, “I lived for books. I was your basic common-or-garden bookworm, complete with freckles and National Health spectacles.”
Due to her interest in books, Rowling wanted to become a writer. She wrote her first book at only six years old which was named Rabbit. Rowling would write her first novel just a year after.
Eventually, Rowling would go on to attend university at University of Exeter and took up French and Classics. Before she became the famous writer we know today, Rowling worked as an English teacher after migrating to Portugal. She also became a secretary and researcher for Amnesty International, which is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights.
As an employee of Amnesty International, it was this time that Rowling had initial thoughts about writing the Harry Potter series we know today. It was on a delayed train heading back to London King’s Cross.
While teaching in Edinburgh, Rowling was also wrote about her eventual masterpiece. After completing the manuscript, Rowling sent it to 12 publishing companies. Unfortunately, all of them rejected her pitch. It was only a year later that Rowling finally got a publishing house to support her work. The chairman of Bloomsbury Publishing made his eight year old read the story and eventually loved it which prompted him to give the go-signal to Rowling. Rowling was paid 2,500 Euros or $4100.
Despite just 1,000 copies initially released, Rowling’s first work Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone would win a string of awards including the Nestle Smarties Book Prize, FCBG Children’s Book Award, Birmingham Cable Children’s Book Award, Young Telegraph Paperback of the Year, Carnegie Medal, and many more. It won’t be long also before Scholastic would gain the rights to publish her work. To their request, Rowling agreed to release her work with an altered title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Obviously, all of this added to JK Rowling's Net Worth in 2022.
Rowling’s work would eventually expand to a total of seven books. She added works such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Rowling’s series of books were record-breaking in the literature industry.
According to Scholastic’s website, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince reportedly sold 6.9 million copies within the first 24 hours. Furthermore, it was able to sell at least 11 million copies within the first nine weeks. On the other hand, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows broke the Guinness World Record as the fastest-selling novel.
The fastest selling book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final novel in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, which sold 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours.
That's an average of 15 books every second!#WorldBookDay pic.twitter.com/ayDd5jRdSr
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) March 4, 2021
Rowling’s seven-book series have sold at least $450 million across the world. Because of its popularity, Rowling’s books eventually had film adaptations. Warner Bros. reportedly paid Rowling 1 million Euros or $2 million to get the film rights of the first four books of the Harry Potter series. As we all know, there would be eight film adaptations from the seven novels. But more importantly, the movie franchise would go on to collect at least $7 billion.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two was a major hit. According to E Online, the movie would become the record holder for the world box office opening record. Furthermore, it was also the highest opening in American box office history. Until today, it’s still the highest-grossing movie released by Warner Brothers with $1,332,227,707 worldwide. The film ranks higher than the likes of Aquaman (2018), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Joker (2019), and etc.
Because of her Harry Potter masterpiece, Rowling became the first billionaire author. However, Rowling would also produce other novels highlighted by Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Both of which eventually earned film adaptations as well with a third film coming up called Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledoor. These are spin-offs to the successful Harry Potter story. It’s worth noting that Rowling also made her debut as a screenwriter in the first spinoff.
Aside from the Fantastic Beasts series, Rowling’s other works in that genre include The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was formatted into a two-part play in 2016.
After Harry Potter turned into a hit, Rowling also explored the crime fiction genre. She took on the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Rowling would go on to produce novels including The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, Career of Evil, Troubled Blood, and Lethal White. Rowling’s other works also include The Casual Vacancy, The Ickabog, and the Christmas Pig.
Outside of writing, Rowling also launched a digital company called Pottermore, which we now know as Wizarding World Digital. It's currently the global digital publisher of the Harry Potter franchise including Fantastic Beasts. And for her influence, Rowling was also a commencement speaker for Harvard graduates in 2008. Her speech was eventually published in 2015 as a book called Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination (Sphere). Its sales are geared towards a financial aid program for Harvard university.
Furthermore, Rowling also founded the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. Rowling reportedly gave $18.8 million to the clinic named after her mother, who suffered multiple sclerosis. She also founded the Volant Charitable Trust, which was a fundraiser against childhood poverty.
Most of Rowling’s net worth has stemmed from her book royalties, movie rights, merchandises, and many more. But nevertheless, were you at all stunned by JK Rowling’s net worth in 2022?
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