Harry Potter: Controversy

Controversy has long been a standard in the entertainment industry.

J.K. Rowling is no Dan Brown; I don't think she wrote the Harry Potter series with the intent of offending, shocking, or surprising her audience. Nevertheless, she has been the target of numerous accusations.

Consider this tirade:



Another of Rowling's critics is Steve Wohlberg, bestselling author of Exposing Harry Potter and Witchcraft: The Menace Beneath the Magic. Wohlberg told the Canada Free Press, "There's plenty of real occultism embedded in Rowling's fantasy works, and in spite of naïve popular opinion, Pottermania is aiding Wicca's growth." He further warned, "Occultism has a dark side, and practitioners can easily become trapped like a fly in a spider web."

Wohlberg is currently setting up a new anti-Potter website, AvoidHarryPotter.com.

Of course, the irony of fighting controversial media is that, the more attention critics give them, the more they'll sell. Think of The DaVinci Code, If I Had Done It, The Passion of the Christ, Borat, and Fahrenheit 911.

Controversy may also take the form of rumors, many of which are ignited by over-eager gossip columnists. One of the latest rumors is that of a rivalry between actresses Katie Leung and Emma Watson; in one sentence, however, newspapers like Daily India squelched this Harry Potter hear-say:

"Harry Potter actress Katie Leung has dismissed rumours that there's a cold war going on between her and Emma Watson."

Sure, rumors can be amusing, even if they're untrue. Marketing-wise, they've ensured that Harry Potter stays in the press lights.

If used ethically, controversy can make a fine addition to any novel's marketing plan.

Harry Potter: A Love Story

The media continues to grasp for anything related to Harry Potter. Hear-say, hoaxes, trivia - anything.

One of the hot stories at present is the boy wizard's first kiss. Sources say that the entire film crew gathered to watch Daniel Radcliffe lay one on Katie Leung; seeking to make that kiss realistically awkward, Leung refused to practice the scene before filming.



Marketers love romance. Love stories sell.

Of course, people don't want to see Pride and Prejudice in everything they read, but in any coming-of-age story, they want to see the characters, well, come of age. Spoofing the sentimental connection that many readers feel with Harry Potter, one man offered the following prediction of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

"Harry, having seen off Voldemort, sweeps Ginny up in his arms in a Richard Gere in An Officer And A Gentleman type way but in overly camp wizarding clothes. I will cry for hours on end I can feel it now. Public outcry will force Rowling to write another book."

In creating this romance, J.K. Rowling's storytelling has been especially effective. By writing budding love relationships as mere secondary plots, she has attracted an audience far beyond the typical "chick lit" readership. Plus, by building romantic tension throughout the series, reserving official coupleship - Ron and Hermione? Harry and Ginny? - until book seven, page seven hundred, she ensures that her fans keep those pages turning.

Readers are more than willing to invest in a subtle love story.