J.K. Rowling
From Welfare to Billionaire Author
Net Worth
$1B
Born
July 31, 1965 (age 60)
Country
United Kingdom
Occupation
Author, Screenwriter, Philanthropist
Gender
female
Generation
Gen X
Marital Status
married
Children
3
Single Parent Household
No
Education
Bachelor's
University
University of Exeter
Industries
creative, business
Wealth Category
billionaire
Wealth Origin
self-made
First-Gen Wealth
Yes
Overcame
- • Mother died from multiple sclerosis in 1990
- • Divorced and left as single mother with no income
- • Lived on welfare while writing first novel
- • Suffered from clinical depression; considered suicide
- • Rejected by 12 publishers before first book was accepted
J.K. Rowling is a British author and philanthropist best known for creating the Harry Potter series, which has sold over 500 million copies worldwide and become the best-selling book series in history. She went from being a single mother on welfare to one of the world's wealthiest self-made women. Her journey from rejection to unprecedented success is one of the most inspiring stories in publishing.
Career Timeline
Notable Quotes
"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default."
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
"It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."
"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic."