Happy Birthday Harry Potter and JK Rowling! Yesterday, July 31, was the shared birthday of the boy wizard and his creator and the beginning of The Magical Quill hunt on Pottermore. According to the Pottermore home page now posting the headline “7 books, 7 days, 7 chances”, early access to site will be granted to those lucky few who find The Magical Quill and complete the registration process. “Each day, from 31 July to 6 August, a clue will be revealed here. Solve the clue and you will be taken to The Magical Quill. Be quick, The Magical Quill won’t be there for long and registration will only be open while spaces are still available each day.” Read more…

The Harry Potter Alliance turns the lessons learned from series into real world action.

The debut of the final film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in theaters early this morning signifies a new chapter for the Harry Potter generation. Rather than an end, fans like Harry Potter Alliance Executive Director Andrew Slack, see the release of the eighth movie as a new beginning, an opportunity to turn the lessons learned from Harry Potter into action. In an article for the CNN website Slack writes of the gifts that JK Rowling’s creations have given to millions of readers. “Reality is mysterious. And the reality is that a fantasy book aimed at children has forever changed writing, publishing, literature, music, sports, social media and social activism.” Read more…

©2011 Warner Bros.

The end is nigh, Potter fans. On Monday, people in the UK started camping out in London’s Trafalgar Square in anticipation of the world premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 that will take place on Thursday, July 7. The Guardian reports that prior to the screening, members of the cast and crew will stroll from a staged Diagon Alley set up in Trafalgar Square to the Odeon theater in Leicester Square. Fans outside of Britain have already made plans to flock to theaters next week, when the film is released world-wide. Yet, through all the excitement and anticipation, this ending is bittersweet. Many who have grown up with the books and movies, feel as if they are bidding farewell to their childhood. In a separate article, Naomi Alderman reflects on the enduring popularity of the series, and muses with a few friends on 7 bits of Harry Potter fantasy that they wish were real. Read more…

For the past week, the Muggle world has been furiously guessing about the details of JK Rowling’s new website, hinted at with a mysterious splash page that pointed to a countdown video on YouTube. Today, Rowling released the details at press conference held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. “Pottermore has been a really great way to give back to the Harry Potter readership, who made the books such a big success,” she announced. In a video screened at the conference, and now posted on the Pottermore home page, the author thanked her readers. “No author could have asked for a more wonderful, diverse and loyal readership.” Rowling then went on to explain the particulars of the site.

“Digital generations will be able to enjoy a safe, unique online reading experience built around the Harry Potter books,” stated Rowling. “Pottermore will be the place where fans of any age can share, participate in and rediscover the stories. It will also be the exclusive place to purchase digital audio books and for the first time e-books in the Harry Potter series. I’ll be joining in too because I will be sharing additional information I’ve been hoarding for years about the world of Harry Potter.” Read more…

The Guardian has proclaimed JK Rowling the winner of the last decade, as far as book sales go. The Harry Potter author dominated the bestsellers lists during the “noughties”, selling more than 29 million books, prompting the New York Times to create a new bestsellers list for children’s books, and racking up sales of over $360 million (£225.9 million). Though she characteristically shied away from the press, Rowling’s personal story became mythologized as well: A struggling single mother, toils away in obscurity on a story about a boy wizard, only to hit it big with her first published novel. Really, really big. Though Rowling’s first royalty check for the UK publication of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone (published in the U.S. as Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone) was a meager $960.00 (£600), she was a millionaire just one year later. Thanks to the continued popularity of the Harry Potter books, movie franchise and merchandise licensing, Rowling is now reported to be worth about $1 billion (£545 million).
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