J.K. ROWLING

AGE: 41
OCCUPATION: Novelist
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 2 (Harry Potter)
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 1

PRO: Author of the bestselling Harry Potter series, which has sold 377 million copies worldwide and spawned a blockbuster movie franchise. She is the first person to become a billionaire writing books and the second-richest female entertainer in the world after Oprah.

CON: Rowling has faced a number of accusations that the magic in her books promote witchcraft and will lead children to the occult.