REUTERS

SPLIT: British author JK Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series, has parted ways with the agent who discovered her. Picture: Reuters

LONDON: Harry Potter author JK Rowling has settled a long-running dispute with the agent who discovered her.

Christopher Little, who spotted the potential of her first manuscript after she had been rejected by a number of publishers, was dumped by Rowling seven months ago.

She has now reached an undisclosed financial settlement with the agent – a deal believed to be worth millions of pounds.

Little, 70, was informed of the author’s decision to sever their 16-year association by letter last July – a week before the premiere of the final Harry Potter film and the only one he did not attend.

The agent, who has been seriously ill for some time, said at the time he was “disappointed and surprised” to learn that Rowling had “terminated her association” with his agency. Rowling, 46, who has an estimated fortune of £500 million (R6.1 billion), joined a new agency set up by lawyer Neil Blair who, until last year, was Little’s business partner for 10 years.

Her defection came shortly after she announced that she would launch a new free-to-use website, Pottermore, which she said was intended to “give something back to the fans”.

It’s understood she and Blair had worked closely on Pottermore. It is expected to earn her many more millions through the sale of e-books and online games.

At the time of the split, her spokeswoman described it as a “painful decision”.

It is understood that Little no longer wishes to remain in contact with his one-time protégé and remains hurt by his dismissal. – The Mail on Sunday