The
Harry Potter books succeeded wildly, beyond anyone's imagination. JK Rowling is the top-selling author of all time. Not just in fantasy. Period. I believe the series did so well largely because of the strength of the characters and their relationships. Modern people want friendships like we see in
Harry Potter and
Stranger Things. So there's a lesson to potential authors. The characters and friendships of
Harry Potter are incredible, and I can understand why so many people would love the stories on that basis.
Harry Potter succeeded because of its characters and relationships. But
Harry Potter did not succeed because of its imagination.
I've spoken in depth in the past about why I don't like the
Harry Potter books. All of it can be boiled down to a single statement:
The characters of Harry Potter are unaware of their own universe.
But I stumbled on a more authoritative way to say this, in terms of
Brandon Sanderson and his "laws of magic."