J K Rowling and the Hary Potter Phenomenon by Lindsey Fraser

Author:Lindsey Fraser
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn
Published: 2011-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Let the madness commence

JO’S sell-out event at the 1999 Edinburgh International Book Festival in August – she had moved to the biggest of the tents with seating for over 400 – followed a straightforward format with which she was comfortable. She would read an extract from the new book at the beginning and then open the floor to questions.

Some authors struggle to get their audience to ask questions at that kind of event. The unfamiliar surroundings and shyness in front of a crowd of people they don’t know can inhibit them. But that has never been true of an event with J K Rowling. Her teaching experience meant that she ran her Q&A sessions with easy confidence, and she clearly revelled in the grilling her readers gave her, congratulating them on their clever questions, carefully considering how much information she could give away without compromising future books, teasing them with hints about what might – or might not – happen next. Threats of future deaths were especially tantalising.

Her informal approach, combined with a dry sense of humour, delight in her audience’s often nerdy knowledge of her books, self-deprecation and the occasional raucous laugh created a relaxed atmosphere. The children treated her like one of them and she responded warmly.

But outside the tent, life was more challenging. The price of fame was taking its toll and arrangements were made to take the pressure off. Jo’s signings were carefully orchestrated – no photos, no dedications, only one book per child. Her publicists became adept at time-saving strategies, deftly opening the book for her at the title page, pushing it along for her to sign quickly and hand to the next child in the queue. Chat was not encouraged, but sometimes Jo couldn’t help herself and a comment from a child would lead to a brief conversation until the minders moved things along again, re-establishing the flip-shove-sign-handover rhythm.

Most authors have to spend some time in the public eye these days, but Jo was increasingly uncomfortable about giving up so much time to touring and events. She wanted to be home with her daughter, and writing.

‘In all of this madness I’m still trying to bring up my child, mostly by myself,’ she said in an interview in 2000. ‘At the moment priority No. 1 is Jessica, priority No. 2 is the quality of the books and there are lots of things jockeying for third place.’ This wasn’t the voice of somebody who was enjoying life very much. As she became less and less ‘available’ there were inevitable grumbles from the press and resentment from some authors who felt their festival events were overshadowed by her rare appearances – or non-appearances. At an award ceremony in Edinburgh in 2006 her editor travelled from London to accept the prize on Jo’s behalf. There were a few raised eyebrows when she explained to those present that Jo couldn’t attend because she was too busy writing. Jo’s fellow short-listed authors were particularly unimpressed. They had found the time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.