How did J.K. Rowling pull it off?

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zeldas_lullaby
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Re: How did J.K. Rowling pull it off?

Post by zeldas_lullaby »

I don't have all the facts, but based on what I know, I think that she struck gold because her books are awesome.

Suppose she'd forged that massive contract, but then her books tanked. We wouldn't know the difference, would we? We wouldn't know her name.

But the publisher's gamble paid off, so we do know who she is. And who she is, is one amazing author. The atmosphere she creates and the characters are out of this world. It's mind-boggling. And the way she aged the characters, making them gradually maturing each year (as normal people do when they go from grade 6 through grade 12) was stunning.

I'm not a total fan of hers--I hated her seventh book and I only made it halfway through. But to answer the question about her success, I think she earned it. A lot of agents' web sites say, "Don't get discouraged. The stars have to be in alignment for your book to get published." They say that for two reasons: 1) They don't want any writers to get mad at them over being rejected. 2) They don't want to just say, "We reject bad writing."

But Rowling is amazing. Any idiots who rejected her books before she struck gold have to be beating themselves up at this point.
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gali
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Post by gali »

zeldas_lullaby wrote:I don't have all the facts, but based on what I know, I think that she struck gold because her books are awesome.

Suppose she'd forged that massive contract, but then her books tanked. We wouldn't know the difference, would we? We wouldn't know her name.

But the publisher's gamble paid off, so we do know who she is. And who she is, is one amazing author. The atmosphere she creates and the characters are out of this world. It's mind-boggling. And the way she aged the characters, making them gradually maturing each year (as normal people do when they go from grade 6 through grade 12) was stunning.

I'm not a total fan of hers--I hated her seventh book and I only made it halfway through. But to answer the question about her success, I think she earned it. A lot of agents' web sites say, "Don't get discouraged. The stars have to be in alignment for your book to get published." They say that for two reasons: 1) They don't want any writers to get mad at them over being rejected. 2) They don't want to just say, "We reject bad writing."

But Rowling is amazing. Any idiots who rejected her books before she struck gold have to be beating themselves up at this point.
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I love her books and think them awesome! :)
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zeldas_lullaby
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Post by zeldas_lullaby »

Woo hoo!! Thanks, Gali!! I love her books too!!
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Abigail-Smith95
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Post by Abigail-Smith95 »

I'm not a Harry Potter fan, not like my husband is anyway! But I find her story an inspiration. She picked herself up financially in the most amazing way ever. She is loved renoundly around the world for capturing both children and adults imagination. Not everyone will be a fan. You can't win everybody over. However, not everyone can do what she did.
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zaynab_m
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Post by zaynab_m »

Perhaps it was just that she wrote well, and the publishers recognized potential. It was a great series, and she deserved all that she got
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GandalfTheFey
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Post by GandalfTheFey »

I have no idea how she did that. Maybe the books were just so incredible (even to advance readers in the publishing house) that they knew they had better stay on her good side from the start?
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j p gilbert
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Post by j p gilbert »

In my opinion, her style evolves as we read deeper into her series.
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