Self Starter: J.K. Rowling’s Empire and You
July 16, 2009 at 1:20 pm 1000chimps 2 comments
Years ago in a small apartment in Leith, U.K., J.K. Rowling finished the first book in the Harry Potter series. She was anything but well off, and the odds were against her. She, like many writers, had come to know the taste of rejection long before her book was finally picked up. She probably tried (not too hard) to hold back the “I told you so’s” as her book spiraled straight upward to the lofty level where it is today, and the release of yet another guaranteed blockbuster film based on her work.
This should be of interest to you. As a writer, you hopefully believe in your idea and in the quality of your work. Although there is neither demand nor room in the market for many (if any) books to become quite as successful as Rowling’s works, there are people out there who have been turned on to reading at any early age as a result of her work. This new generation of readers might be immersed in the digital world, but they are certainly not going to refuse the opportunity to read a good book if you present it to them.
In the wake of any major success, writers often try to latch on to this juggernaut as a template to create a similar story. I don’t feel that this is the best path to the top. If anything, it can be a path to a copyright infringement suit.
Fan fiction and tribute stories are never going to be treated with the excitement that a good original inspiring story might be. It would be better to create something new and unique and fail than to ride on the coattails of someone else’s creativity against their wishes. The public is discerning and can smell a rat from a mile away. They also tend to be able to notice something special and are hungry to spread the word about it once it is on their radar.
J.K. Rowling herself has said that she’d like to be remembered for being “the best she could.” I think we all would be fortunate if we could have the same fate.
A final piece of wisdom to note from this example (your advantage), is that almost none of the resources available to writers today for grassroots marketing and audience development were available to Rowling or many of the well-known writers we love at the time that they started their careers.
-1,000 Chimps
Entry filed under: In the News, Reading & Writing, Writing. Tags: Harry Potter, Rowling, Writing.
1.
Bajki | July 20, 2009 at 6:02 am
The thing is, J.K. Rowling was one in a million. Look at all those writers who published their books and noone but their parents heard of them. I’m affraid barely anone will be able to repeat rowling’s success.
2.
Narty Studenckie | July 29, 2009 at 5:56 am
She was really lucky. She hit a perfect niche with harry potter at the perfect time. Some more marketing and here we are, couple years later and she’s as rich as it gets!