J. K. Rowling

Frequently asked questions

• What is the reading order for the Harry Potter series?

  The Harry Potter series should be read in the following order: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone), 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.

• Does J. K. Rowling write under other names?

  J. K. Rowling also writes adult crime novels under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. These books feature the private detective Cormoran Strike.

• How did J.K. Rowling come up with the idea for Harry Potter?

  Rowling conceived the idea on a delayed train journey from Manchester to London in 1990. She had no pen and felt too embarrassed to ask a stranger for one, so she spent the journey writing the story entirely in her head. Harry arrived, in her words, 'fully formed' — a boy who didn't know he was a wizard. She began writing the novel in earnest that evening.

• Have J. K. Rowling's books been adapted into films?

  Many of J. K. Rowling's books have been adapted into major motion pictures. The entire Harry Potter series has been adapted, as have the Fantastic Beasts books, which expand upon the wizarding world.

• How many publishers turned down Harry Potter before it was accepted?

  Twelve publishers rejected the manuscript before Barry Cunningham at Bloomsbury accepted it in 1996. Cunningham reportedly told Rowling that she would never make any money out of children's books — a remark that has become one of publishing's most frequently cited examples of editorial misjudgement. The first edition was published in June 1997 with a print run of 500 copies.

• What awards has J. K. Rowling won?

  J. K. Rowling has received numerous accolades, including the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year for several Harry Potter titles, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award for her lasting contribution to children's literature.

• Why did she publish the Cormoran Strike books as Robert Galbraith, and how was she unmasked?

  Rowling published under the Galbraith pseudonym to write crime fiction without the weight of Harry Potter's expectations — to find out whether the books would succeed on their own merits. She planned to maintain the identity through at least three novels. The pseudonym was broken in July 2013 when a partner at the law firm representing Rowling told a friend, who was a journalist, that Galbraith was Rowling. The Sunday Times confirmed it through forensic linguistic analysis. The law firm issued a formal apology and donated damages to charity.

• What did Rowling do before she became a writer?

  Before the Harry Potter series, Rowling worked as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International in London, then as an English teacher in Oporto, Portugal. She returned to the United Kingdom as a single mother after the breakdown of her first marriage and was receiving government benefits while completing the first Harry Potter novel in Edinburgh.

• How many books has she published in total?

  As of 2025, Rowling has published thirty books: seven Harry Potter novels (1997–2007), three Hogwarts Library companion works (2001–2008), the play script Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016), The Casual Vacancy (2012), The Ickabog (2020), two Fantastic Beasts screenplays (2016–2018), and eight Cormoran Strike novels under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym (2013–2025). The Strike series is planned to continue to ten books.

• What honours has she received?

  Rowling is a Companion of Honour (appointed 2017), one of the United Kingdom's highest civilian honours. She has received the PEN America Literary Service Award (2016), the Edinburgh Award (2008), the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award (2010), and honorary doctorates from multiple universities. The Harry Potter series has won numerous children's literature awards, and the Cormoran Strike series has won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger.

• Is she still writing the Cormoran Strike series?

  Yes — The Hallmarked Man, published in September 2025, is the eighth book in the planned ten-book Cormoran Strike series. The series is published under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym and continues to debut at number one in both the UK and US. Two further novels are planned before the series concludes.

• What is her connection to Edinburgh?

  Rowling wrote much of the early Harry Potter novels in Edinburgh cafés, most notably The Elephant House on George IV Bridge, while her infant daughter slept beside her. She has lived in Edinburgh for most of her adult life. In 2008, she received the Edinburgh Award — given annually to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the city — and became the first woman to be honoured by a statue on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.