JK Rowling, the billionaire author behind Harry Potter, has written a new book. But, she published it under a man's name, Robert Galbraith, and not her own. Is this a scandal or just a clever marketing trick?
Like a spell out of Hogwarts, J.K Rowling has transformed herself into another person.
Rowling, who has become a household name after the landmark success of her Harry Potter series, has been revealed to be the true identity of crime novelist, Robert Galbraith.
When "Galbraith" published The Cuckoo's Calling back in April, little was known about the supposed first time writer. The book, despite modest sells, received high praise from critics, some even speculating that the novel was almost too good to be true.
There is no doubt that if Rowling had penned the story under her own name, it would have been an instant best seller. However, even with the guaranteed commercial success that comes with the Rowling name, the British-born novelist set an impossibly high bar for herself with the beloved Harry Potter books. 2012's The Casual Vacancy, Rowling's first book aimed at an adult audience, was a prime example of this--garnering high sells but mixed reviews.
Rowling had this to say about her use of the gender-bending pseudonym:
“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."
It's not too late for the author to have her cake and eat it too. The Cuckoo's Calling is sure to now fly off the shelves and has already made it to the top of Amazon's best sellers list since the big reveal.
A reporter for The Sunday Times uncovered the ruse, after receiving suspicious tweets about the authenticity of the novel. Upon further investigations, the thread began to unravel when it was learned that both high profile writer Rowling and novice Galbraith shared the same editor.
Even though the culprit has been caught, the mystery still lives on, leaving the question--Who sent the telling tweets in the first place? Could this all have been a clever ploy by J.K and her team to boost sells and avoid the high bar that she, herself, has set?
Let us know what you think in the comment field below.
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
