..it is entirely possible for me to view the whole Harry Potter business with a certain benign affection, even while agreeing with A.S. Byatt's rather negative assessment of the books (though perhaps I'm biased by the fact that she recognizes the skill in Terry Pratchett's work.
But mild affection would never move me to public declarations (well, aside from this), so I can only assume that Stephen King and John Irving feel something more than this. What a world we live in.