J.K. Rowlings

[George Wilder Jr.]

Some say that she is the bestselling author of all time. And no other Author or writer on the face of the earth will ever catch up to her. I know she not a crime writer, however, I was just curious of what you might think.

[I. J. Parker]

Might think about what? I have all sorts of thoughts on that subject. Her children's series is quite brilliant and well written, so she deserves the praise. Her income is not at all commensurate, however. No set of books is worth that much money. People are more likely to buy books for their children and grandchildren than themselves. Perhaps because books are "educational" and therefore a smart buy for a child's consumption. Clearly adults don't think they need books as badly. The hype is everything in this business. And so forth.

[Karen J. Laubenstein]

My understanding is that J K Rowling drafted a mystery between the fourth and fifth Potter books and is going back to them. I'm attaching the news article about Rowling moving into a different genre.

[Angie]

Um, you do realize that the whole JK Rowling is turning to mysteries/crime fiction started off as a joke, right? If I remember right, Ian Rankin was doing some sort of public speaking thing and made a joke about his wife seeing Rowling at work on a crime novel in a local cafe. Joke, not fact. Reporters picked up the story and didn't bother fact-checking before running with it. Rowling has said she's not sure what kind of book she'll work on next.

[Karen J. Laubenstein]

I had a niggling that was the case when the "facts" in these two stories are also reporting what was right here on Crimespace before they went to print - as if a reporter saw it on Crimespace and went with it, then it got into the international press. It will be interesting to see what's going to develop... but meanwhile, what an unbelievable journey the woman has come on since she first introduced Potter to the world!

[Jackie Tritt]

I think there are a lot of writers around who are better at the writing craft than JK Rowlings, but she's a great storyteller. The best thing is that she's drawn a whole generation of children into the idea of reading for pleasure - who would ever have imagined kids all around the world lining up for hours for the launch of a new book. Wonderful. Will she ever be surpassed in sales? Who knows? Lots of people are trying, but she deserves our accolades for what she has achieved for children's fiction.