# OK, What's The Truth on JK Rowling's Success?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-whats-the-truth-on-jk-rowlings-success/761737>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 4, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-whats-the-truth-on-jk-rowlings-success/761737 "2016-08-04T14:12:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-whats-the-truth-on-jk-rowlings-success/761737/41 "2016-08-06T15:55:04Z")

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> [@Voyager](#):
>
> And the publisher who accepted Harry Potter in the US was Scholastic, a good publisher but not one know for novels.

Well, not known for novels that an adult might read, but well-established as a publisher of children’s books. Before _Harry Potter_ they’d published a number of successful children’s series like _The Baby-Sitters Club_, _Goosebumps_, and _Animorphs_.

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**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-whats-the-truth-on-jk-rowlings-success/761737/42 "2016-08-09T02:06:45Z")

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The first Harry Potter book wasn’t particularly popular. It was between books 2 and 3 that the hype started. Most YA authors can’t keep the quality going but JK Rowling actually got better and better.

Also, the Borders Children’s buyer was extremely into the series and was influential in its success. Cite: I worked for Borders HQ at the time.

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