In 1993, J. K. Rowling was divorced and clinically depressed, freezing in a rat-ridden Scottish flat.
She wrote in cafés for warmth while her baby slept, typing out her novel twice - she couldn't afford to photocopy it. Twelve publishers rejected it. Then Bryony Evens, a low-level reader at the Christopher Little agency, fished it from the rejection bin. The unusual binding caught her eye. Finally, Bloomsbury decided to take the risk. Why? Because the chairman's eight-year-old girl, Alice, read the first chapter and demanded more. On June 26th of 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone hit the shelves. Just 500 copies were printed. "You'll never make any money from children's books, Jo," her editor warned. Today? 600 million copies sold. The best-selling book series of all time.
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