On November 19, 2010, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I was released in many countries at the same time! This is another Harry Potter film. The idea for the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone came to Joanne Kathleen Rowling in 1990. It took her seven years to finish writing it. During those seven years she had a number of jobs, including one job as an English teacher in Portugal. Rowling sent the book to four publishers before one of them bought it. She was very happy to sell her because it was her life's dream to be a published writer. Before she sold her book, Rowling was short of money, living in a small apartment with her daughter. She could not afford heat in the winter. The first Harry Potter book became very successful with children and adults in England. The also really took off in the United States. After her second and third books were published, the three Harry Potter filled the top three places on many newspapers' lists of best-sellers. Then the books were made into popular movies. Without question, Rowling's life completely changed, in just three years. Harry Potter series has now sold more than 30 million books around the world and has been translated into more than 35 languages. In 1997, she earned about US $110 a week. By the end of 2001 , she had earned over US $250 million, making her one of the most successful women writers of all time.