Can JK Rowling move beyond Harry Potter?

Aug 11 2007

Reports are starting to circulate that famed author JK Rowling is already working on two of her first post-Harry Potter projects. But with her name being forever associated with the boy wizard, will Rowling ever be able to find success writing "other" books, perhaps in an entirely new genre?

Only time will give us that answer. The road won’t be easy, however. Readers and critics alike will scrutinize any future books she writes, and comparing them to the Harry Potter books will be unavoidable.

On the other hand, Rowling’s name commands enormous star power within the publishing community, so unless she really screws up, she could probably experiment with any genre she wants and chances are her book/s would be published. Not only that, but the first post-Harry Potter book she writes will probably sell pretty well, at least in the beginning. Readers will be so curious as to what the famous scribe has to say next, they will surely eat up her next book.

But that initial "honeymoon period" won’t last for long and Rowling will have to turn out quality books that can sell. Of course, there are those who say even the Harry Potter books weren’t all that well written, but that’s a judgment I’ll leave up to you. Regardless, when Rowling comes out with a new book, it’s going to gain wide media and public attention.

Of course, we are assuming that she is able to stay away from Harry Potter to begin with. The thought of Rowling going back to her famous character, while it might seem a little absurd right now, it’s certainly not out of the question.

Another famous author, with an equally famous character, was unable to free himself from the shackles of literary fame. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tried to kill off the infamous Sherlock Holmes, but the public demanded the detective be brought back. By that time, Doyle saw Holmes as a personal demon because he felt writing those darned detective stories distracted him from other works he wished to pursue.

If a character like Sherlock Holmes can be brought back, it’s very possible that Harry Potter can be brought back as well. As much as Rowling wanted to metaphorically close the book on the Potter series, even all the magic and spells that Potter is capable – nothing can protect him from an eager public, money-grubbing publishers, and a legend that will not die.

One Response

I really don’t foresee Rowling being successful again in any genre, except maybe mystery. Harry Potter is an amazing series because the stories are so emotionally engaging. But yes, they aren’t necessarily written well, and I wonder when the last time an editor truly cut through her work.
Rowling is more of a storyteller, as opposed to a writer, and so I think it will be hard for her to break into a literary genre. And she is such a public figure, that she probably wouldn’t want to traverse quickly into those waters anyway, for fear of spoiling her image/rep.

Robyn 8/13/2007 1:47 pm