Comments on: Why is Harry Potter So Popular?

By: Catrin

Catrin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:50:16 +0000

I’m an unpublished auther (so i guess that makes me a writer, not an author) at the age of fifteen, and Im trying to get published, but if i dont im going to continue writing because despite the fact its taken me four years to complete two books, writing is something that i love doing and wouldn’t be able to live without. Back to my point, I also agree with Lee in that publishers will only publish your work if it’s good, and if the time is right. This is why Rowling’s books were turned down at first.

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:06:25 +0000

Lee, I hear what you said, re all authors love what they write. But maybe it’s the degree, breadth and depth of love. Did you hear how other pro basketball players said Michael Jordan was the first to practice, and the last to leave? Or golfers saying how Tiger will practice a shot, over and over and over, that might not ever occur, just in case?

Another way of looking at the HP success is in terms of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Maybe JKR simply ‘did unto others’ (her readers) more of how she would like to be done to?

Fyi, I’m not a HP fan. I tried reading a few pages of a HP book and just got bored. My interest is in the phenomena of the likes of her and other huge successes, and the why of what everyone else creates.

Another interesting lady is the author of the ‘Twilight’ books/movies. Or author Donald Walsh. Neither originally intended on being authors. But like JKR they seemed to get profound emotional fulfillment from it (,… and the rest is history?).

So maybe it has something to do with how intrinsically fulfilling some activity is to the person who engages in it?

By: Lee

Lee — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:13:47 +0000

I don’t disagree with you, but I would argue that every author loves what they’re writing, they have to, writing a book really is a labour of love because it’s not a fast process. Having said that, no other author has achieved the same level of success (Dan Brown managed it with one novel, but hasn’t managed seven so far), they haven’t infiltrated society, been read across all ages, sexes and classes. It’s unlikely we’ll see their like again, ever, much less in our lifetimes.

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:25:10 +0000

One other ingredient: From interviews we find that Rowling truly LOVED writing the Harry Potter books. It thrilled and delighted and intrigued her, every nook and cranny of it. Sort of like Tiger Woods with golf, Kobe Bryant with basketball, Oprah’s interest in people, Einstein in science, etc. They do what they are passionate about, and do it REGARDLESS of the money. (Look how they do it, even after they became wealthy. That seems to be a clue.)

By: April

April — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:25:35 +0000

HARRY POTTER ROCKS