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JK Rowling writes secret crime novel under false name JK Rowling writes secret crime novel under false name
(about 11 hours later)
JK Rowling has secretly written a crime novel under the guise of male debut writer Robert Galbraith.JK Rowling has secretly written a crime novel under the guise of male debut writer Robert Galbraith.
The Harry Potter author was acclaimed for The Cuckoo's Calling, about a war veteran turned private investigator called Cormoran Strike.The Harry Potter author was acclaimed for The Cuckoo's Calling, about a war veteran turned private investigator called Cormoran Strike.
The book, published in April, has sold 1,500 copies in hardback so far. The book, published in April, had sold 1,500 copies but Amazon reported sales were up by about 500,000% as of noon.
Rowling's secret emerged after the Sunday Times wondered how a first-time author could produce such an accomplished work. Rowling's secret emerged in the Sunday Times, telling the paper she had "hoped to keep this secret a little longer".
'Without hype' She described "being Robert Galbraith" as a "such a liberating experience".
Rowling said: "I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience. "It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name," she told the newspaper.
"It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name."
One reviewer described The Cuckoo's Calling as a "scintillating debut". Another praised the male author's ability to describe women's clothes.One reviewer described The Cuckoo's Calling as a "scintillating debut". Another praised the male author's ability to describe women's clothes.
A clue that Rowling was behind the novel was that she and "Galbraith" shared an agent and editor.A clue that Rowling was behind the novel was that she and "Galbraith" shared an agent and editor.
The book was published by Sphere, part of Little, Brown Book Group which published her foray into writing novels for adults, The Casual Vacancy.The book was published by Sphere, part of Little, Brown Book Group which published her foray into writing novels for adults, The Casual Vacancy.
There were also similarities in style between The Cuckoo's Calling and Rowling's other works.
'Mature writer'
Rowling said her editor, David Shelley, had been "a true partner in crime".Rowling said her editor, David Shelley, had been "a true partner in crime".
Crime writer Peter James told the Sunday Times: "I thought it was by a very mature writer, and not a first-timer."Crime writer Peter James told the Sunday Times: "I thought it was by a very mature writer, and not a first-timer."
While crime author Mark Billingham, who reviewed the book ahead of its publication, said he was "gobsmacked" at the revelation.
Rowling also caught out others with her new guise.
Turned down
Kate Mills, fiction editor at Orion Books, admitted she had turned down the crime novel, which she described as "well-written but quiet".
"So, I can now say that I turned down JK Rowling. I did read and say no to Cuckoo's Calling. Anyone else going to confess?" she tweeted.
Sales of the novel have rocketed since the true identity of its author was revealed.
The "Movers and Shakers" section of Amazon, which charts gains in sales by the hour, says sales of the book are currently up by more than 507,000%.
The fictitious Galbraith was supposed to have been a former plain-clothes Royal Military Police investigator who had left the armed forces in 2003 to work in the civilian security industry.The fictitious Galbraith was supposed to have been a former plain-clothes Royal Military Police investigator who had left the armed forces in 2003 to work in the civilian security industry.
In previous interviews, Rowling has said she would prefer to write novels after Harry Potter under a pseudonym.In previous interviews, Rowling has said she would prefer to write novels after Harry Potter under a pseudonym.
Another Cormoran Strike book by Robert Galbraith is in the pipeline, to be published next year.Another Cormoran Strike book by Robert Galbraith is in the pipeline, to be published next year.