Editing The Fountainhead (section)

===Effect on Rand's career===
[[File:Gary Cooper The Fountainhead 1949.jpg|thumb|alt=Screen capture of Gary Cooper|[[Gary Cooper]] played Howard Roark in the film adaptation.]]
Although Rand had some mainstream success previously with her play ''[[Night of January 16th]]'' and had two previously published novels, ''The Fountainhead'' was a major breakthrough in her career. It brought her lasting fame and financial success. She sold the movie rights to ''The Fountainhead'' and returned to Hollywood to write the screenplay for the adaptation.<ref>Milgram, Shoshana. "The Life of Ayn Rand". In {{harvnb|Gotthelf|Salmieri|2016|p=29}}</ref> In April 1944, she signed a multiyear contract with movie producer [[Hal Wallis]] to write original screenplays and adaptations of other writers' works.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=164}}</ref>

The success of the novel brought Rand new publishing opportunities. Bobbs-Merrill offered to publish a nonfiction book expanding on the ethical ideas presented in ''The Fountainhead''. Though this book was never completed, a portion of the material was used for an article in the January 1944 issue of ''[[Reader's Digest]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=171}}</ref> Rand was also able to get an American publisher for ''Anthem'', which previously had been published in England, but not in the United States.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=198}}</ref> When she was ready to submit ''Atlas Shrugged'' to publishers, over a dozen competed to acquire the new book.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=271}}</ref>

''The Fountainhead'' also attracted a new group of fans who were attracted to its philosophical ideas. When she moved back to New York in 1951, she gathered a group of these admirers to whom she referred publicly as "the Class of '43" in reference to the year ''The Fountainhead'' was published. The group evolved into the core of the [[Objectivist movement]] that promoted the philosophical ideas from Rand's writing.<ref>Milgram, Shoshana. "The Life of Ayn Rand". In {{harvnb|Gotthelf|Salmieri|2016|p=30}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=144}}</ref>