JK ROWLING DUMPS AGENT WHO HELPED HER MAKE MILLIONS

JK Rowling has dumped the man who helped conjure up her £530million fortune

Monday July 4,2011

By Rod Mills

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J K ROWLING has dumped the man who helped conjure up her £530million fortune.

Literary agent Christopher Little is credited with masterminding the Harry Potter author’s career after spotting the potential of her first manuscript.

However, the 45-year-old mother-of-three has “terminated her association” with Little after 16 successful years in which he transformed her novels into a multi- million-pound industry.

And in a devastating blow to the 69-year-old agent, she has defected to a new firm established by lawyer Neil Blair, who until recently worked at the Christopher Little Agency.

Mr Little, 69, the son of a First World War fighter pilot, was yesterday thought to be considering legal action after being left “disappointed and surprised” by the development.

For her part, Rowling, who lives in a 17th-century mansion in Edinburgh, hinted at behind-the-scenes tensions in a brief statement.

We can confirm that J K Rowling has terminated her association with the Christopher Little Literary Agency.

JK Rowling Spokesman

The writer, who was a struggling single mother when she was discovered by Little, said she had “sought a different outcome for some weeks”, but the move had “become unavoidable”.

Her departure to newly formed Blair Partnership comes days after it was announced she would launch a new website, Pottermore, in October.

She worked closely with Blair on the site, which will sell electronic versions of the Harry Potter books, while he was still with Little. It is expected to earn her many more millions through the sale of ebooks and online games.

At the launch she said: “I knew that in 1998 I was generating more material than would ever appear in book.” Yesterday her spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that J K Rowling has terminated her association with the Christopher Little Literary Agency. This was a painful decision, especially as Ms Rowling had actively sought a different outcome for some weeks