CASE STUDY HARRY POTTER: THE BOOKS THAT CONQUERED THE WORLD J.K. Rowling's seven-book fantasy series about adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his adventurous and magical years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have been translated into over 80 languages, and the films have been in various languages all over the world. The case Harry Potter dubbed The story of its origins is famous: J.K. Rowling wrote the tale of this boy wizard while waiting in an Edinburgh café for a delayed train. She sent her first three chapters to a lot of publishers, but was refused over and over again, until one finally accepted. Since its literary beginnings in 1997, Harry Potter has generated books, films, video games, toys, clothes, shops, websites and theme parks, and the overall value of the brand is about 25/30 billion dollars, at present. The main story focuses on Harry's struggle against an evil wizard who killed his parents and tried to kill him when he was a baby. At Hogwarts, Harry forms everlasting friendships, falls in love, immense challenges, incredible loss and learns to many magical, social and emotional . J.K. Rowling made the decision early on to have seven books; each of the seven books chronicles a year in Harry’s life at Hogwarts, and this was actually very strategic for the future marketing of the Harry Potter brand, since it allowed for continuous marketing. The series faces endures overcome hurdles The first book, , was published in the UK and in the USA with bright covers that highlighted key scenes in the novels, a smart move to capture the younger generations and enter the market. In both covers, the name was highlighted in large typeface, but whereas the English edition opted for an easy-to-read bold serif, the US edition used what would become widely recognized as the Harry Potter font. The original covers Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Harry Potter The key to Harry Potter’s initial success, beyond the great story, was that it was different: it didn’t follow literary or film trends and it came into a market where there were very few competitors both in children’s literature and family films. Also, the author allowed fans to interact with the brand in-person and online: Rowling herself often rewarded her fans with replies, retweets, or secret fun facts about the world of her creation. The success 7. Answer the questions. What is Harry Potter about? What was the author doing when she came up with the idea of the story? What is the main topic of the series? How many books are there in the series? Why were the first covers very bright, with scenes from the story? What is the key to the success of the series? 8. GROUP WORK Split up into two groups and prepare a short debate. The topic is the following: books are better than literary film adaptations. One group will be in favour of this statement, the other will be against it. Find at least three reasons to support your stance.