Is this a new trend. Dan Brown writing on floors , JK on marble busts.
Joe public writes his name on a bus shelter and it's vandalism but if you are a filthy rich author in a posh hotel it's publicity. Hopefully some over-zealous cleaner gets the turps out.

Hmm, it does smack of a contrived bit of showmanship-though I do seem to recall that Camus, after finishing "L'Etranger", signed a half-eaten hotel crepe with the remnants of the only bottle of HP sauce ever seen in Paris.

Comment@1 Kaipie, hehe...nice one dude....anyway..im off to find a single mother :)

Doesn't writing the first of seven very successful books while on benefits constitute benefit fraud?

For those who don't get the joke, or have no sense of humour, I'm sure JKR will have paid back her debt to the state many times over!

That's it JK, you have done your bit. Let the b*gg*rs find their own entertainment from now on. You do not need more publicity, I would presume less would be better. If the management of the Balmoral is to rude to thank you for that bit of memorabalia, I am quite willing to take it off their hands and stick it onto ebay. Halfers with you of course. Anyway, thanks for the stories and enjoy the rest of your life.

Oh I think the Balmoral will be offered far far more than the bust is worth ..... and Ms Rowling knew that when she did it. Maybe as a thanks for getting the peace and quiet she needed to finish the book.

Wish I could do it. I have had to THROW the family out regularly so I can write up MY weekly reports at home! I've paid out hundreds for pizzas and cinemas! Get's the job done though. Now what do I have in my sad wee garret that I can sign for posterity????

Ricardo was here

We are all glad to hear that the tortuous, bespectacled, story-telling will soon be at an end.

To think that in a hundred years time, our descendants will all be studying Harry Potter novels for A level English! Arggghhhhh!

Thank god that this is the end of Potter,And she signs a bust in her hotel room,Wonder how much that will sell for.You try it and you will end up in court.

hah! you lot are being ridiculous. I've had so much enjoyment reading the Harry Potter books, I couldn't care less what J.K signs. She's never tried to make a show of herself to the public, so let's just everybody freak out about it now!

I'd take the "bespectacled story-telling" over....is it possible, a lot of green eyed jealousy?

YAY Harry potter's coming out soon!!!! Congrats on finally finishng the last book. JK never publicises herself - she's allowed to go mad once in a while. Enjoy the rest of your life JK! Hope it's not the last we hear of you.

Personally... I would do the same thing in Jo's position. It's an EXTREMELY hard thing to let something go. Right now, I'm in highschool yet and I signed my locker with a fine sharpie because it's personal for me. You're changing you life drastically and you want to be able to look back on it and remember. Don't ask for a deeper explaination... I don't know. I just wanted a piece of me to be there forever. Now it is. (At least until it is painted over or the school is demolished!)

Thank you for everything, JO!

At first I was shocked at this vandalism of others' property. But the circumstances are a bit special: The end of a grand work... I think there was an irresistible mix of hysteria, relief, and mischief. Maybe even a small poke at her intrusive public. And I'm sure she'd not have marked up a Bernini or Michelangelo. The theme of rooms with clues or special purposes is important to her.

I think she just wanted to record the moment she completed her book series. I'm surprised she didn't put the time (I would have).

I have been an avid reader all my life. I have taught my children to enjoy reading as well. I have also introduced my husband to the joy of reading through the Harry Potter series. I hope to one day meet Jo. I think its wonderful that she marked the end of such a wonderful thing. She has never wanted to be in the public's eye. I don't think it was a publicity stunt, just a little relief and sadness at the end of such a big part of her life.

#11 Georgi,
#12 ElmoGal,

I couldn't agree with you more. :-)

#9, #10

While its true that I think JK and the harry potter series has seen far too much hysteria and that she is not as accomplished a writer as somein the genre, it is undoubted that she has inspired a generation of young people to read books and that is a good thing in this electronic age.

I wish that some people would keep in mind that this might all be rubbish, that JK never signed a marble bust (fake signatures for sale on ebay ring any bells?) Until JK herself says that she did it I think everyone should not accept this as fact, but take it with a grain of salt.

I don't know. . . that signature looked quite authentic to me. (Have none of you even looked at the signature on your W.O.M.B.A.T.?!)

As for me, JKR walks on water.

I think the story about the marble bust has already been confirmed by JKR reps.

If the Hermes rumour is true, that is so awesome and so apt! Hermes is not just the name of Percy's owl, it is a concept that's quite central to the series, I think... what with the god's function as a psychopomp who leads the souls to and fro the Underworld (think of all those times Harry goes on a journey somewhere underground) and Mercury's role in alchemy... And JKR used the messenger god to deliver her message! :-)

I love the fact that the Balmoral hotel is at 1, PRINCES Street. Hee-hee.

I can't see why some people have a problem with JKR's writing on the bust. The completion of "Harry Potter" is a literary and publishing milestone, but also a huge milestone in her own life. I can't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling right now. It's the end of one unthinkably wild and emotional 17-year-long journey.

I love what she did! Sure, it's vandalism, but this is something that is huge to her and many of her fans. J.K. does well with keeping herself out of the spotlight. In a way I agree that it was a publicity stunt, but who cares! She wrote Harry Potter! Finding this out made me happy. I'm glad she made one really good lasting impression.