J.K Rowling, worth $1 billion, is the infamous author behind the best-selling multi-billion-dollar book series Harry Potter, consisting of seven books.

The book series would eventually turn into one of the most successful film franchises in history, encompassing eight movies and grossing more than $7.6 billion.

Starting out as a single mother with barely any money to her name, J.K Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers before her book was finally accepted for the meager price of $1,800.

Her first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the 4th highest-selling book in the world, with over 120 million copies sold. In total, her books have sold more than 500 million copies, and are reported to have generated more than $7.7 billion in revenue.

According to Forbes, J.K Rowling earns around $60 million a year.

Rowling has remained extremely confidential about her personal earnings and shares from sales and movies, hence why most of her net worth is based on standard industry rate estimates.

J.K Rowling Book Sales

Not only did Rowling break records with each book published, but she was also the highest-paid author in 2016, earning a reported $95 million that year from her various endeavors.

Her first-ever book was released in October 1998, and two months later, would hit the New York Times bestseller list, remaining on that list for 82 consecutive weeks.

Her fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire sold more than 3 million copies in its first week, and from there, each book would break the sales records set by the previous book.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 8.3 million copies, an average of 96 books a second, becoming the fastest-selling fiction book in history.

She has also written the Fantastic Beasts book trilogy, which has also been produced as a three-part movie since 2016, grossing close to $2 billion at the box office.

Assuming a standard %15 royalty fee for her Harry Potter books, Rowling would have earned approximately $1.15 billion out of the total $7.7 billion revenue, with that number most likely increasing in recent years.

Harry Potter Book Sales and Estimated Revenue:

J.K Rowling Movie Earnings

The Harry Potter movie franchise is one of the most profitable movies produced to date, with the entire syndication which includes the books, amusement parks, merchandise sales, and toys, earning a reported $25 billion in total.

Each movie has grossed at least $780 million at the box office, with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II taking the number one sport with $1.3 billion grossed.

Rowling reportedly sold the rights to the first four films for just $2 million. However, taking into consideration her substantial earnings over the years, it’s highly unlikely those were solely from her book sales, so it’s believed that Rowling negotiated a %10 gross revenue or net profit share deal with the production company.

Taking that into account, her total share from the Harry Potter movie franchise ranges anywhere from $550 million to $750 million.

Harry Potter Movie Earnings