When it comes to having a highly lucrative writing career, only a few writers are lucky enough to reach the same level of success as J.K. Rowling. As the renowned author of the Harry Potter children's book series and adapted movies, she is one of the wealthiest writers today.
Since she was not born into wealth, J.K. Rowling achieved it through hard work. It is a compelling rags-to-riches story of a woman who went from being a struggling aspiring writer to having an extremely high net worth.
J.K. Rowling was born in England in 1965. Her birth name is Joanne Rowling. She does not have a middle name, but uses Kathleen, the name of her grandmother, as her middle name.
After earning her degree, Rowling moved to London and began working as a human rights abuse researcher for Amnesty International. J.K. Rowling then moved to Portugal, finding work as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.
In 1990, before moving to Portugal, J.K. Rowling began writing the first drafts of her Harry Potter books while commuting on the train from Manchester to London King's Cross.
J.K. Rowling continued writing the Harry Potter books throughout her time in Portugal. When she divorced and moved back to England, she had already completed the first three chapters of the initial Harry Potter novel.
After completing the entire manuscript for the novel, Rowling sent out the first three chapters to various literary agents. She received positive feedback from one of them, who asked to see the entire book.
Rowling's first book about an orphaned young wizard and his friends became a global phenomenon. It was translated into other languages for readers worldwide.