JK Rowling's Impressive Net Worth Revealed

Having written more than 10 Harry Potter novels and companion books—not to mention her works outside of the Wizarding World under the alias Robert Galbraith—one would assume that ​JK Rowling is worth a pretty penny. But even then, you probably underestimated just how much the acclaimed author is worth.

Using a Revealing Charm (and ​Celebrity Net Worth), we've discovered Rowling's true net worth, and after the books, the films, the Cursed Child play, and the never-ending merchandise, it comes in at $1 billion.

Just to put that in perspective: Stephen King is estimated to have a net worth of $400 million; Danielle Steel comes in at $385 million; and John Grisham is worth an estimated $350 million. Basically, Rowling is the richest author at the moment—and she wins by a landslide. She is also the first author in the world to hit the $1 billion mark.

And as any Potterhead would agree, it's well-deserved. Although Rowling had a tough life growing up, she used the negative aspects as inspiration for characters. After graduating from college, Rowling saw herself as a failure, later admitting she was depressed and ​contemplated suicide. She worked through a failed marriage, was a single mother, and was jobless ... until she wrote Harry Potter.

When Rowling finally became financially successful, she almost immediately gave back. In fact, she actually made her first $1 billion in 2004, but ​lost her billionaire status after donating a large sum to charity.