I love hearing about success stories. How did Richard Branson earn his first million? How did Steven Spielberg come to make movies? How did the Beatles first meet? We can’t all be as successful as the likes of them, of course, but no matter what our interests, hopes, and dreams are, we can all gain inspiration from not just the successes of others, but also from the mistakes they learnt from and the set-backs that didn’t set them back.

It’s hard to believe it’s only been ten years since the first Harry Potter book was published. From obscurity and financial insecurity to a fortune eclipsing the accumulated wealth of the Queen of England in just a few short years, J.K. Rowling’s success is without parallel. She became the first person to make a billion dollars from writing books, doing so with just a handful of books, eclipsing every other popular author on the planet, some with dozens more books and several more decades writing behind them. With Harry Potter mania reaching its peak with the publication of the final book in July, I thought I’d share with you some interesting facts about this unique phenomenon and the amazing success of J.K. Rowling.

I’m a big believer in the adage “It’s better to have tried and failed, than not to have tried at all,” but knowing when it is time to give up is not as easy as it sounds. J.K. Rowling received 12 rejection letters before the thirteenth publishing company finally said yes - so much for 13 being unlucky. Who could have blamed her for giving up after 6, 10, or 12 rejections? She surely would have been entitled to not only give up, but feel like she had given her dream her best shot. Thomas Edison, a man whose thoughts on success and failure warrant attention, said, “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” J.K. Rowling certainly proved the worth of that statement.

My first introduction to Harry Potter came via my two nieces who were absolutely captivated by the books. That was some time between the publication of the third and fourth books because I remember the fourth book was the first one I had to wait for. Their mother, my sister, had to confiscate the books every night at bedtime to ensure they didn’t stay up all night reading. It was amazing to see them so excited, and although I was 18 and 20 years their senior, their enthusiasm was infectious. I think that’s the real magic of the books, their ability to captivate and fascinate children (and adults) from all over the world. My mother began reading them as well, after my sister stated she enjoyed them, and for a few days 3 generations were all reading Harry Potter. This may sound corny, but the shared experience of reading the books brought the three generations a little closer together.

The worldwide release of the seventh and final Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, resulted in strange headlines from all over the world almost as unbelievable as the plot itself. A 21-year-old Canberran required hospitalization after diving into frigid Lake Burley Griffin in a failed attempt to retrieve a $20 advanced proof-of-purchase docket. In America, the mistaken delivery of the book a week early caused panic in board rooms and resulted in phone calls to the recipient begging her to keep the plot a secret. Several newspapers, one of which was the reputable New York Times, caused outrage by revealing the ending days before the book went on sale, the spoil sports. While an Anglican priest praised Harry Potter for its Christian values, Pope Benedict XVI's chief exorcist warned that the books are a conduit for Satan and that Harry is the devil in disguise. Other religious fanatics have also developed a hatred for all things Harry. The books, apart from selling better than all others, also have the honor of ranking high on lists of banned books. Religious lunatics calling for a book’s banning is a sure sign that the book is worth reading.

Society’s obsession with celebrities and entertainment has never been more evident than the day actor Daniel Radcliff, who plays Harry in the films, turned 18 and got royally drunk. On the homepage of a major Australian news website, a photo of a very hung-over Mr. Radcliff was prominent, but there was no mention of the murder of Bae Hyun-gyu at the hands of the Taliban the same day. I do like a bit of entertainment fluff from time to time, but surely such irrelevance should never replace actual news, especially on a news website.

One interesting aspect of the phenomenon is that it highlights the growing difference between British English and American English. The first book, as you would expect from an unknown author, was subject to the most changes. The most obvious being the change of the title from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, two entirely different things as the philosopher’s stone is a legendary substance said to provide gold, enlightenment, and eternal youth to its owner, while a sorcerer’s stone is simply a stone owned by a sorcerer. The assumption made was that American readers would be confused by the use of the word philosopher; heaven forbid they should actually learn a little about mythology. Changes to the text itself were reportedly only made where it was deemed confusion would have resulted had the text remain unaltered, but does that explain why “revision” became “study,” why “toilet” became “bathroom,” why “newsreader” became “reporter,” why “fortnight” became “two weeks,” or why “next moment” became “a moment later”? It was with a touch of sadness that I realized the edition I bought from Kyobo bookstore was the American one.

With two more films still to come, the Harry Potter phenomenon certainly hasn’t ended yet. It remains to be seen whether J.K. Rowling will ever revisit the world she created, but I rather hope she does.