The Next Big Thing:

As Harry Potter’s final fight with Lord Voldemort, readers and publishers have one question on their minds: Who will be the next JK Rowling?

Javier Martinez, assistant professor of English at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, said Harry Potter was a success because Rowling wrote the series in the tradition of boarding school, young adult novels popular in British history.

Tradition mixed with good character development and a fully developed fantasy world helped make that series a breakaway success.

“The question is, ‘What will people latch onto?’ And if I knew I would write the book myself and make a lot of money,” Martinez said.

NEXT BIG THING

Several writers have been called "the next big thing" by people looking to recapture the success of Harry Potter.

Michelle Paver’s novel “Wolf Brother” focuses on the adventures of Torak, a young hunter who was orphaned by a bear 6,000 years ago. While the main characters are young teens, the story’s setting is as far from Hogwarts as one could get.

“I wasn’t even setting out to write a children’s book,” Paver said. “It’s really wish fulfillment because when I was 10 I wanted to have a wolf.”

In the past, Paver had been successful with historical novels aimed at adults, but has met a lot of acclaim as a writer for young adults.

Emma Maree Urquhart started writing her novel, “Dragon Tamers,” in 2001. She published it in 2004 at age 13. The second book in the series was published the following year.

“I know why I write, though — since I was very young, I’ve had books affect my life, keeping me smiling,” Urquhart said. “Nowadays, I’m a much darker person, and my aims when writing aren’t only to make people happy, but to affect the reader’s emotions in any way I can.”

“Dragon Tamers” mixes fantasy with science fiction as a group of kids face a world of virtual dragons.

David Thorpe, an online columnist and former Marvel Comics writer, decided to throw his hat into the literary ring after receiving his first copy of Saga Magazine, a British publication for people over 50.

“When this arrived on my mat I thought, ‘oh my God, I’m old,’” Thorpe said. “It just so happened on the cover of that cover of the issue it asked ‘are you the next JK Rowling?’ … I thought, why not have a go?”

Thorpe spent the next year writing a novel and was pleasantly surprised when his manuscript won the title.

The book, “Hybrids,” takes place in the near future when a disease is sweeping the United Kingdom.

“There’s a virus called ‘Creep’ going around Britain and it causes adolescents to merge with common technology, like cell phones. The process is quite painful,” Thorpe said.

The story revolves around a government-registered hybrid named Kestrella and an underground would-be revolutionary called Johnny Online as they search for the truth. It was published in May.

First-time writer Louise Arnold also earned the title of “next JK Rowling.” Her story, “The Invisible Friend,” was entered in a contest by BBC Online.

“I immediately thought back to a story I had written when I was ten years old, about a ghost called Boo,” she said. “I dusted off the idea, made a few alterations here and there, and sent it in. After being put to a public vote, my opening paragraph won … from there, I was contacted by an agent, who found me a publisher, and everything has just snowballed.”

Arnold’s first book was published in 2005, and the third book is due later this summer.

ACCEPTING A LABEL

The label of “the next JK Rowling” can be a blessing and a curse for authors.

“That could influence the decision of many Harry Potter fans to buy a book,” Martinez said. “At the same time if the author’s idea is very unlike Harry Potter, they are probably rolling their eyes.”

Although he won the title, Thorpe said it isn’t entirely earned.

“I’m certainly not the next JK Rowling, I’m not as pretty as she is,” Thorpe said. “There’s never going to be a next JK Rowling. … That’s not the kind of thing that you can manufacture.”

He added “Hybrids” is a science fiction story aimed at older teenagers, rather than a fantasy for young readers.

“It’s a very, very competitive field. In the end, it’s the kids who decide who’s big and who isn’t,” Thorpe said. “The only thing you can do as a writer is write what you want to write about and tell a damn good story.”

Paver agreed.

“I slightly laugh sometimes, because we don’t actually need the next JK Rowling, we have an existing one,” Paver said, adding Rowling did a great service for the publishing industry.

“She has created a tremendous interest in children’s books,” Paver explained. “When people used to say ‘I write children’s books’ people would say ‘oh, when will you write proper books?’ You don’t hear that anymore.”

Writers understand any comparison is meant as a compliment.

“Of course, it’s terribly flattering, but it’s certainly not a label I’d choose,” Arnold said. “I think the Harry Potter phenomenon is pretty unique, and I don’t see it as a void waiting to be filled.”

Not everyone likes the notoriety.

“God, I loathe that title,” Urquhart said. “Writing is about originality, not how many big names you get compared to. … I respect her work, and the fame it’s gathered is amazing - but the comparison paints the writing career under as one of fame and riches, and that couldn’t be further from the harsh reality of the field.”

Urquhart, like other writers, hopes to be recognized for her own talent.

“All I know is, the future is going to be fantastic - I’ll be doing what I’ve always done: fighting to bring my ideas to life and introduce some insane, exciting things to this world, and enjoying life.