19

I recently watched the entire Harry Potter series in December 2021. I really loved the Harry Potter world and all the characters.

Even after days, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it and I'm pretty happy about the innovative idea that struck me about writing a sequel for the series. I really want to publish said sequel, but I'm clueless about how to contact JK Rowling. I am aware that publishing without her permission would be copyright infringement after going through a few articles online.

F1Krazy
  • 10,771
  • 4
  • 35
  • 65
Sam N
  • 315
  • 2
  • 6
  • 18
    You have completed your sequel in a month? That's great! But you should probably allow some people to read it and give you feedback before contacting a publisher. – wetcircuit Jan 17 '22 at 12:33
  • 37
    Note that Rowling is happy for people to write fanfiction as long as she doesn't have to read it, it's not sexual, it's not sold for money, etc. (https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/1182#, for example.) – Patrick Stevens Jan 17 '22 at 19:59
  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. – linksassin Jan 20 '22 at 05:58

2 Answers2

92

I'm sorry, but the chances of JK Rowling letting an amateur, unpublished writer use her ideas is zero. She and her partners have billions of dollars riding on the HP franchise. If she is tired of writing it, she might be interested in some collaboration with a best-selling novel author or screenplay writer she personally enjoys and admires and has worked with before, but not one of us.

Period. She won't even read your letter or know about it, her agents and lawyers will respond with a form letter rejecting you out of hand. That's how the world works with billion dollar franchises.

Get over it. It doesn't matter one iota how much you love it or how well educated you are about the HP universe. Apply your great sequel idea to something else entirely and don't use a drop of anything JKR invented.

I'm not being mean, I'm just trying to save you time, and money, and heartache from being sued or rejected hundreds of times. JK Rowling is not going to collaborate or use ideas from a rando with zero track record. Period.

Read this article, about somebody she did collaborate with for 10 years, Steve Kloves, the screenwriter for nearly all the HP movies: A Screenwriter's Hogwarts Decade. (Summary below) JKR is a micromanager when it comes to her franchise; I am 99.999999% certain she will not let anyone ever write a sequel in her universe. And she's a billionaire with billionaire film industry partners that will sue your pants off if you even try to publish such a thing using any trademark of theirs.

Summary of Steve Kloves' article: Steve began on the first movie, and relates that Rowling told him she understands the movie cannot be the book, but she wanted to stick to her vision of the HP world and its characters as closely as possible. And that the script was something of a collaboration, she corrected him several times on the script, and she had a very deep knowledge of her world that wasn't in the book. When he asked her for the 12 uses of Dragon Breath she reeled them off from memory, even though they were not in the book. And many other such things, in a meeting brainstorming about a scene, he wanted Dumbledore to reminisce about a girl he once knew, Rowling waved him off, because she knew from the first book that Dumbledore was gay. When he wanted a minor character to die and suggested Dobby, she told him no, Dobby plays a critical role in the last book.

Stuff like that. He did write the script, she trusted him to get that and the abbreviated story right; but Rowling is a micro-manager when it comes to details about the HP world and every single character in it, and she won't release her grip on the steering wheel. That makes it difficult for any other writer to tell original stories in the HP world; because the character arcs are already set in stone, in Rowling's mind.

Community
  • 1
Amadeus
  • 101,174
  • 8
  • 132
  • 330
  • 6
    Oh, I actually think this makes sense... in the real world, everything goes back to a strong background or position and I have neither of those. Thank you so much for the quick reality check 😅 @Amadeus!, honestly, I should have thought about this 😅😅😅 – Sam N Jan 17 '22 at 15:40
  • 8
    @SamN You are welcome. I do mean it, your plot ideas might be salvageable as a standalone story in a fantasy setting of your own invention. There is a market for "New Adult" fantasy. New Adult (NA, 18-26) books feature college-aged characters and plotlines. It is the next age-category up from Young Adult (YA 12-18). It explores the challenges and uncertainties of leaving home and living independently for the first time. Many NA books focus on or at least include sex. You don't have to include sex; the NA category is age-defined, not content defined; but it makes sense for the 18-26 crowd. – Amadeus Jan 17 '22 at 15:54
  • 24
    And don't forget that there's precedent for authors turning works of fan-fiction into successful stand-alone book series. – Michael Seifert Jan 17 '22 at 20:44
  • 1
    So you'd be willing to bet $1million against one cent on JKR letting someone else write a sequel? That's wildly overconfident, even without the fact that she already did. – Acccumulation Jan 18 '22 at 02:28
  • 2
    @SamN + please consider that rejection is nothing personal and shouldn't make you feel bad. She likely receives such letters by the hundreds every day, and therefore won't have the time to even consider them unless you already know each other or you're already very famous. – vsz Jan 18 '22 at 05:23
  • @vsz , yes you are right. I won't feel bad (atleast not for too long 😅). Thank you! – Sam N Jan 18 '22 at 05:32
  • 1
    JKR does communicate on social media so she may actually read such a proposal, just probably not on paper. – Peter - Reinstate Monica Jan 18 '22 at 21:50
  • 1
    @Peter-ReinstateMonica She may, and laugh, and forget it. $Billions. She isn't going to share it with anybody that doesn't already have a stellar track record of making $millions in the publishing, movie, or gaming business. – Amadeus Jan 18 '22 at 22:24
  • 1
    You say you're not trying to be mean, but then why choose such antagonistic language as "get over it", along with accusative language arguing against thing they didn't say? If I asked a friend for advice on something and they told me to "get over it" without any provocation like this, we'd be on the road to becoming ex-friends (unless they apologized later). In general, I would say that, if you feel you have to include "I'm not being mean," it means you realize you actually sound mean, and thus should edit. – trlkly Jan 19 '22 at 08:43
  • 6
    @trlkly I am not being mean, I am being blunt. There is no easy way to tell people they are completely wrong, and should cease and desist from something they feel passionate about, before they waste months or years or get themselves into legal trouble. "Get over it" is good and kind advice in this case. Understand that it is a lost cause, give up on it, and do something else with anything you have developed in pursuit of it. I think I've learned in 50 years that tiptoeing around the truth doesn't really work when people are emotionally invested in the falsehood. – Amadeus Jan 19 '22 at 10:56
  • JKR is technically not a billionaire – Matt Ellen Jan 19 '22 at 15:26
  • 1
    @MattEllen Technically, neither is Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos. They own property worth billions (and the value of that property can fluctuate wildly), and that is the case for most billionaires. They don't keep a billion in cash. JKR has not earned a billion, yet, but she owns intellectual property and rights to the HP universe that analysts estimate is worth at least a billion dollars; i.e. she could sell all her rights for at least that much. No different than Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, etc, they'd have to sell off their holdings to realize their billions. – Amadeus Jan 19 '22 at 15:52
  • 1
    @Amadeus the value reported is "net worth" which includes financial and non-financial assest. JKR is not a billionaire. – Matt Ellen Jan 19 '22 at 15:58
  • @MattEllen I have read analysts that better understand the entertainment industry that disagree with you. The stock market is easy, we can see what Amazon or Microsoft is trading at every day, and use that to approximate net worth. What is entertainment intellectual property worth? What would it cost to buy the HP Universe? There is no particular publicly traded corporation to assign a value. It isn't for sale, it has no public value. But it's expected future earnings can be estimated and we can use that to assign a value, much like a P/E ratio. When that is done, JKR is a billionaire. – Amadeus Jan 19 '22 at 17:16
  • 1
    And I take it this also applies to far more than just this particular case, right? In other words, if you wan to so much as talk to a particular such person, you have to be famous? I'm curious: where does that distinction/requirement inevitably originate, then? What level of parity should one expect to have before one will have a real chance of being able to even talk to any given person to get questions answered one might have? Because I'm more interested in the broader ramifications here to other contexts. Not to "use their stuff" but how to get beyond the standard form letter so – The_Sympathizer Jan 20 '22 at 13:50
  • 1
    you can talk to them about other things. – The_Sympathizer Jan 20 '22 at 14:02
  • 1
    Also, I would advise @Sam N: become (go through the motions required to get to being) a $millions-worth writer. Not because of Harry Potter, which, as said, she won't let you use anyway even if you do because she doesn't want anyone else's control, but because it's worthy in itself. And because even if it never obtains, you'll be at least an amount so much better off as a writer. Aim high, and end up where you get. Nobody gets there by giving up, even if not all who don't give up get there. – The_Sympathizer Jan 20 '22 at 14:05
  • 1
    @The_Sympathizer It originates in pragmatism. Literally millions of people want to talk to JKR, or Stephen King, or George Lucas, or any other "star" with millions of fans. Perhaps tens of thousands of those fans think they've got great plot and character ideas for their star, others may want to romance them, or debate their politics, etc. There are literally not enough minutes in the day for a star to spend time with every person that wants to contact them. Many fans may not realize this -- they think they are special, the star only gets a few ideas a week, and they'll stand out. (cont) – Amadeus Jan 20 '22 at 14:40
  • 1
    @The_Sympathizer (cont) But it's dozens a day, hundreds of fan letters a day. So stars, typically being rich from their efforts, hire professionals to vet contacts, letters, telegrams, whatever. Often bodyguards as well. If they aren't rich, they just ignore their mail, keep it unopened. You get past that barrier with your own fame, which comes with credibility. JKR might take a legitimate phone call from Spielberg. Or Daniel Radcliffe. Or if your idea has merit you follow a chain, from the non-famous to the famous: An agent has contacts, they have contacts, etc up to somebody JKR trusts. – Amadeus Jan 20 '22 at 14:47
  • 1
    @Amadeus : So what is the "ratio" one should be aiming for if one wants to be able to meet one of these people, i.e. in terms of, say, follower count? How do you make yourself distinguished enough to be able to stand above the millions, if you make that your goal? What steps should you take if you want that to be in your some point future years down the line? Not with JKR or any of the others you've named but I'm thinking like with certain activist figures in the political sphere. – The_Sympathizer Jan 20 '22 at 15:50
  • 1
    Second of all, why do they converge on the filter being fame and not something else? What would happen if one was in that position and used something else, e.g. simply picking letters purely at random? – The_Sympathizer Jan 20 '22 at 15:54
  • 2
    @The_Sympathizer Done answering, we are exceeding the limits of comments. The same way I said, work your way up the chain of "degrees of separation" with some meritorious idea. As to why "fame"? Simple, fame is due to controlling vast resources and/or having extreme talent and/or success. Fame is proof, a lack of fame is not proof, even if the talent may be there, the un-famous are too numerous to sort through. The only alternative is being in the star's trusted circle of acquaintances. No more questions; I hate getting my comments transferred to chat. – Amadeus Jan 20 '22 at 16:23
  • 2
    @Amadeus : Thanks, I didn't know there was some comment limit you had. I guess I'll stop here. – The_Sympathizer Jan 20 '22 at 16:30
  • 1
    " I am 99.999999% certain she will not let anyone ever write a sequel in her universe." - she already did. It's called "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" - she had very little invovlement in the story. – NKCampbell Jan 21 '22 at 19:36
  • @Amadeus You could leave out the "get over yourself" part and your Answer would remain unchanged. You covered why they they were wrong. "Get over yourself" is an accusation that they are conceited, that they think too highly of themselves. It is an attack on their character where none is needed. It is not something you say because you think someone's viewpoint is incorrect. And there is no need to say something like that to be blunt. You clearly know it can come off a mean, as you wouldn't have included a disclaimer about "not being mean." A good Answer would not need such a disclaimer. – trlkly Jan 24 '22 at 21:03
  • 1
    @trlkly I never said "get over yourself." I said "get over it." Referring to the idea that the OP could somehow collaborate with JKR. Which is exactly what I meant; they need to get over that unrealistic idea. I'm not accusing the OP of being conceited at all, I'm informing them that they needs to let that notion go, because there is virtually zero chance it will work. Which is what my whole answer is about. – Amadeus Jan 24 '22 at 21:04
  • @Amadeus You're right. You didn't say "get over yourself." But the reason I got mixed up is that those have every similar meanings. The term does not have the literal meaning you describe. It does not mean the same thing as "you need to let that go." It is accusing the person of being conceited, and whining about their problems. I would think that, maybe being 50 means you are out of touch, but there were songs using that meaning when you were a teen. Plus, again, you never need to say "I'm not being mean" unless you think you're coming off as mean. So you know what you said. – trlkly Jan 24 '22 at 21:23
  • @trlkly I said "I'm not being mean" because yes, I know it might come off as mean, but that is true of any harsh truth that somebody has to face. That is when you say it. You are right, I know exactly what I said, and it sounds harsh, but I have found that sugarcoating such truths just lets people continue to think that maybe it isn't so bad, and they continue on a path that will waste their time, money and effort, which means I have not helped them. It is not intended to be mean, it is intended to convey the truth without risking the truth being missed completely. – Amadeus Jan 24 '22 at 21:39
  • 1
    Thank you for the concern @trlkly . I'm not picking sides but, it definitely wasn't offensive but rather a look into the reality and practicality of the situation. Also, it was kind of Amadeus to not sound mean and I was more focused on what he had to say, it definitely did help me understand the reality - to try and focus more on what is important for me right now. 😅 – Sam N Jan 26 '22 at 14:17
49

In an interview, Stephen Fry (who has recorded the audio-book versions of the Harry Potter series from the start) recalled how, at a book-signing that J.K. Rowling was doing, there were representatives of her publishers who would make sure that if anyone tried to hand her a letter or manuscript, they would snatch it out of the fan's hands before she could even touch it. Apparently they are very paranoid about people writing down ideas for future episodes in the Harry Potter series, and then later claiming that J.K. Rowling read and stole their ideas. I believe he even mentioned that they store everything that is handed to her, so that they can later prove that it has remained unopened.

So I'm afraid that the idea that something you send to her publisher or agent would be passed on to her, is not very realistic.

casual user
  • 341
  • 2
  • 3
  • Oh, makes sense. Thank you for letting me know @casualuser, I really appreciate it 🙏 – Sam N Jan 18 '22 at 05:48
  • 4
    Today I Learned... This is a great bit of info and a wonderful tidbit. I wonder how pervasive this kind of stuff is with "top" authors like JKR, King, etc... I would assume... Very. – WernerCD Jan 18 '22 at 21:16
  • Since much communication today is over social media the idea to leave envelopes unopened to avoid IP claims seems so ... 90s. They may have done it back then but it stopped making sense roughly a decade ago. That makes me realize -- we are approaching the 25th anniversary of the first novel, right!? June 26 ... – Peter - Reinstate Monica Jan 18 '22 at 21:51
  • 6
    @WernerCD: It's the reason Terry Pratchett stopped participating in the alt.fan.pratchett newsgroup: "He doesn't post to alt.fan.pratchett anymore though he did stay on the group reasonably regularly between 1992 and 1999. The thing that forced him out was that people began discussing plot possibilities for future books. He figured it was only a matter of time before someone accidently predicted a major plot point for a forthcoming novel and then tried to sue him for intellectual property." (source) – Heinzi Jan 18 '22 at 21:59
  • 2
    @WernerCD This even applies across domains, wherever ideas matter. See for example https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/policies/ideas.html – idmean Jan 18 '22 at 22:19
  • 3
    @WernerCD It is worth noting that Stephen Fry is himself a successful author, and even he found the situation surprising, so I guess this sort of thing indeed only happens to top-selling authors with film deals. – casual user Jan 19 '22 at 07:34
  • 2
    @Heinzi The source was last modified in 2000. Pratchett definitely resumed talking to people on usenet at some stage after 1999, though it may have been on alt.books rather than alt.fan. I certainly recall talking about the launch of Wee Free Men with him which would be 2003 and about a Carl Hiaasen novel , I thought it was Nature Girl (2006) but Skinny Dip (2004) may be more likely. There was pretty strong self policing of Speculation about future plot. – Spagirl Jan 19 '22 at 12:09
  • Publishers are especially careful around this following the legal issues that Marion Zimmer Bradley was mixed up in in the early 1990s, which essentially killed one of her unpublished novels… – Chronocidal Jan 21 '22 at 18:58