Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE FRSL[2] (/ˈroʊlɪŋ/; born 31 July 1965),[1] pen names J. K. Rowling[3] and Robert Galbraith, is a British novelist best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. The books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies.[4] They have become the best-selling book series in history[5] and been the basis for a series of films which became the highest-grossing film series in history.[6] Rowling had overall approval on the scripts[7] and maintained creative control by serving as a producer on the final instalment.