Will you sign my book?
Every one of my sixty-something publishers, my agent, my friends, my relatives and my neighbours are constantly approached by people who want me to sign their books. The sad truth is I couldn’t sign all of these books even if I gave up writing, eating or sleeping. These days the only books I sign are for charities or in very special circumstances. I am truly sorry about this, but I think you would all rather I wrote books six and seven than spent my life signing books one to five. So please, please, please do not send me your books for signature. I no longer get to see the books that are being sent, which are returned to the sender.
Where can I write to you?
My publishers will forward letters.
Can I be in the film?
I have No Control Over Casting, I’m afraid. Your best bet is to write to Warner Bros.
Will you use some of my ideas in the next Harry Potter book?
The books have been planned for so long that there isn’t room for any more ideas! Fan fiction is really fun, though, and I am so proud to think that Harry Potter inspired so much creativity!
What is your advice to children who are being bullied?
TELL SOMEONE, whether it is your Mum, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, a teacher, a brother, a sister, an adult friend – just tell someone. If the first person you tell doesn’t seem to understand how bad the problem is, tell somebody else. I know that it is very hard to admit that you are being bullied, but it is absolutely crucial if you are to end the misery. Life in school can be very tough and any adult who has forgotten that is an idiot, so don’t be ashamed… just tell.
Can I meet the cast of the Harry Potter films/visit the set?
I don’t know, you’ll have to contact Warner Brothers! (Their site is accessible through my ‘Links’ section). I have no power over things like this, I’m afraid.
How can we avoid the middlemen when trying to publish a book?
I’m really not sure what you mean by ‘middlemen’. Most authors have agents whose job it is to negotiate contracts for them (authors not necessarily being very good businesspeople) and while you do not have to have an agent, I would advise any novice to get one if they can. Other than your agent, you deal with an editor and perhaps the people marketing your book. None of these people can be described as ‘middlemen’, they are simply part of the process of being published. Of course, if you would rather nobody else is involved, you can self-publish, but that has always sounded like an awful lot of hard work to me.
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