An interesting article in The Guardian:

Then the logic gets even more curious, because the AJKR famously received, I believe, a mere- to-average �2,000 for her first children's book. Her success came from people buying the book, not from publishers getting excited - very different things.

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Apart from a simple-minded desire to be your own self rather than a new anyone else, the question remains: why would anyone want a New JK Rowling? The old one works perfectly well. I'm not sure another one is practical. Are there enough trees?

Louisa Young, "We are all the new J.K. Rowling now," The Guardian (05 August 2003). Go ahead—read the whole article. It's rather amusing, in a sad sort of way, because some of the bitterness hiding behind it seems genuine (and not unreasonable).