You would think that becoming a billionaire just from selling books would be impossible, and it almost is, as only one individual has managed to achieve this rather remarkable feat. Perhaps not surprisingly, that individual is the creator of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, who really did come from absolutely nowhere and created something that became a phenomenon.
However, she was only a billionaire for a relatively short period of time simply because she then proceeded to give away quite a lot of money to various causes and charities. It was this unselfish act that caused her to lose this status, but then when you have as much money as she does even after the charity acts, does it really make that much difference?