Well, seems i got some facts mixed up there. Really need to stop listening when my friends try to brag about their leet knowledge in random topics.

However, from what i have also read (Wikipedia;ed this) Tolkien did write a lot of books (read: not full books, but stories and family trees etc.) before The Fellowship of the Ring. It was just that they were never published until Christopher Tolkien organized the notes and spread them to the public.

Btw, i do not want to say that your statement about Tolkien released hardcore books were Rowling do interviews is wrong, i actually think it was a good way of putting it.