(NewsNation) — British author JK Rowling amassed her wealth through creating the wildly popular “Harry Potter” universe, making her the first author ever to become a billionaire.
How did Rowling go from being an unemployed single mother on welfare to one of the richest people in the world with a net worth between $1 and $1.2 billion?
‘Harry Potter’ becomes massive success
In 1997, Rowling released the first book in her fantasy series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” or “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in the United States.
The book, which had an initial print of 1,000 copies, led to six sequels in the series, with the last two — “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” — selling 9 million and 11 million copies, respectively, within 24 hours of their releases, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Rowling has sold 500 million copies of the “Harry Potter” books since the series’ release nearly 30 years ago.
‘Harry Potter’ film empire
Warner Bros. bought the rights to the first two books in 1998 and released the film adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001.
The eight films in the main series — as well as the spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” movies — have grossed $9.5 billion, according to Yahoo! Finance.
Author J.K. Rowling, seen here in 2018, has come under fire in recent years for her statements regarding transgender people. (Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File) 
JK Rowling attends the memorial service for former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling at St Margaret’s Episcopal Cathedral on Dec, 19, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Euan Cherry/Getty Images) 
Emma Watson and J.K. Rowling pose in front of the winners boards at the Orange British Academy Film Awards 2011 held at The Royal Opera House on Feb. 13, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
In addition to the films, the series expanded into merchandising, video games and theme parks.
Rowling makes more than $80 million a year from royalties stemming from the “Potterverse,” according to Forbes.
JK Rowling’s views on gender identity
In recent years, Rowling has become a controversial figure due to her outspoken views on gender identity and transgender rights.
In June 2020, Rowling posted a link to an op-ed discussing a post-COVID-19 world for “people who menstruate.”
“‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” she wrote.
After receiving backlash against her initial post. Rowling went on to add: “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.”
Fans of “Harry Potter” strongly criticized Rowling for her views on the transgender community.
Actress Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger, has publicly voiced her support for the community, and Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular character, released a statement through the LGBTQ+ suicide-prevention nonprofit Trevor Project.
JK Rowling’s real estate holdings
Rowling has several homes in the United Kingdom, including her childhood home in Gloucestershire, England, which she bought in 2011, according to Love Property.
The author also bought an apartment in London and a townhouse in Scotland.