For this alone, J. K. Rowling goes to heaven

[dianeduane]

In my book, anyway.

More than half of kids ages 5-17 say they did not read books for fun before the Harry Potter series came along, according to the report, which surveyed 500 children and 500 parents nationwide. Among parents, 76 percent say reading the series has helped their child perform better in school, while 65 percent of children agree.

And there's a happy thought in the last paragraph of the article:

So, what will happen after the seventh and final Harry Potter book comes out? Half of the readers surveyed say they will look for a new series (wannabe-bestselling authors take note!) and 27 percent say they will read whatever Rowling publishes next.

Comments

[xipuloxx.livejournal.com]

the instant we announce the movie version of So You Want to Be a Wizard

Ooh, that sounds exciting! Is this a realistic possibility, or just a "maybe it'll happen one day" thing? I've never read the books (as I said, I've never seen them) but would certainly be interested in seeing a movie of them (and indeed may just buy the American editions anyway).

[dduane.livejournal.com]

It's a realistic possibility, for a number of reasons. At any rate, I'm working on the screenplay now. Once it's done, we go shopping. Dreamworks evinced some interest a few years ago when I was first testing the waters with various producers out in LA: we'll see if they're still interested. And others, of course. But now that I've had a miniseries come out (and be successful), the odds are more in my favor.

[wetdryvac.livejournal.com]

That would be fantastic - especially where you've got a direct hand in the screenplay. Luck and skill to you!