Who is the author of the Harry Potter series?

The author of the Harry Potter series is J.K. Rowling. The British writer created the seven-book fantasy saga about Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Rowling conceived the idea in 1990 and completed the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, while facing financial hardship and raising a young child. Bloomsbury published it in the United Kingdom on June 26, 1997. Six sequels followed, ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007.

A common mix-up concerns the initials in her pen name. Rowling was born Joanne Rowling and has no middle name; the “K” was added in honor of her paternal grandmother, Kathleen. The American edition also used the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but it is the same first book.

The books became a global publishing phenomenon, selling more than 600 million copies and inspiring films, games, theme parks, and stage productions.