Alice Newton Saved Harry Potter

After several publishers rejected "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" as too long for a children’s book, Bloomsbury chairman Nigel Newton agreed to look at British author J.K. Rowling’s manuscript. He passed the early pages to his 8-year-old daughter, Alice Newton, who read a chapter and immediately wanted more. Her excitement helped convince Bloomsbury that the book had real appeal, and the publisher went on to release it in 1997.

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