Harry Potter shares a birthday with the woman who penned him into existence, J.K. Rowling. Today she turns 54.

Before she was a best selling author, Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers. The Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million copies and has become one of the best selling book series in history.

“The World is full of wonderful things you haven’t seen yet. Don’t ever give up on the chance of seeing them.” –J.K. Rowling