It seems that the literary world has found its King Midas in J.K. Rowling. Everything the renowned author has written has translated into millions - possibly billions - of fortune.
Rowling has been tight-lipped about the status of her financial and business affairs, so many speculations have been raised about her net worth. Still, this privacy did not deter the New York Times from creating a lengthy breakdown of the author's accumulated wealth.
Seven Harry Potter books have catapulted Rowling to the world's richest list, reportedly gaining her a payday of $1.15 billion. The books' movie versions have likely earned her an additional of $650 million.
"The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," a chain of themed parks at Universal Parks & Resorts has also added to Rowling's massive wealth. She earned a one-time licensing fee of between $60 million and $80 million and gets a share for each ticket, merchandise, food, and drinks sold. All in all, she has supposedly raked in nearly $100 million from the parks alone.
Add to this the rousing success in the box office of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," produced and penned by Rowling in her screenwriting debut. Since its opening day on Nov. 10, 2016, the film has raked in nearly $500 million - which gives the author an additional $50 million.
Altogether, this pegs Rowling's net worth to about $2 billion. The highest rate that Britain charges for its individual taxpayers is 45%. Taking this into account, Rowling ends up with a rough estimate of $1.2 billion in net worth.
Still, all these reports remain unconfirmed. In fact, Fortune reached out to Rowling's camp to confirm the accuracy of the aforementioned NY Times article, but received no comment.
Rowling's net worth might remain a guesstimate, but one thing's for sure: her rags-to-riches life story is truly inspiring. Jobs & Hire has previously reported how Rowling experienced numerous rejections before landing the big fish that is Harry Potter.
