JK Rowling Publishing under a Pseudonym

[JD Gumby]

Eh. What's the big deal? It's normal for authors to use pseudonyms when putting out stuff they'd prefer not to have under their own name, for whatever reason (percieved lesser quality, but still worth putting out, usually, or dipping into another genre that would conflict with what they're known for).

The only difference is now it's harder to keep it secret for years at a time, and certainly not for a lifetime...

[medard]

I don't understand why people whant get this book now.

Why is this book interesting out of a sudden? There are thousands of books each year that sell less than 1'500 copies.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

The only difference is now it's harder to keep it secret for years at a time, and certainly not for a lifetime...

Especially when you weren't really trying to keep it a secret forever in the first place. Everything I've read leads me to believe this was a very controlled "out." The "investigation to discover" who was behind the pseudonym doesn't seem very likely to me. All pretty calculated if you ask me. Not that I care much, or am up in arms about it. I'll still check the book out when I get some time.

[Jessica Lares]

Will be the next audiobook I get, already in my wish list. Wow, at that review hahaha.

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The book is now the #1 bestseller in books at Amazon UK, with sales up 507,500% in the last 24h.

Ravensknight, why do you wish she would go away? Do you have something against authors being successful?

Because this whole situation stinks of shenanigans and I'm tired of the trend of "famous" people [actors, authors, etc], pulling 'tricks' and acting more like attention whores than professionals.

Call me naive...

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by medard

I don't understand why people whant get this book now.

Why is this book interesting out of a sudden? There are thousands of books each year that sell less than 1'500 copies.

People want to get this book now (I would guess) because of the name of Rowling. I can't imagine any other reason.

Perhaps someone more knowledgeable about Rowling than me - about her popularity, notoriety, artistry - can supply a better sustained answer.

ADDED: I just bought the book. I like a good mystery now and then, and maybe this will be one.





Don

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

Eh. What's the big deal? It's normal for authors to use pseudonyms when putting out stuff they'd prefer not to have under their own name, for whatever reason (percieved lesser quality, but still worth putting out, usually, or dipping into another genre that would conflict with what they're known for).

The only difference is now it's harder to keep it secret for years at a time, and certainly not for a lifetime...

Yes, it's quite normal and nothing out of the ordinary.

Why, even Bachman had something to say about this issue.......



Don

[medard]

This looks like a very professional PR campaign to me.

528 of 554 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read! July 7, 2013

By Karen
This book is so well written that I suspect that some years down the road we will hear the author's name is a pseudonym of some famous writer.

Anyway I whish her good luck with this book, I think Rowling received a lot of undeserved criticism for her last novel The Casual Vacancy.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by medard

I don't understand why people whant get this book now.

Why is this book interesting out of a sudden? There are thousands of books each year that sell less than 1'500 copies.

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

People want to get this book now (I would guess) because of the name of Rowling. I can't imagine any other reason.

I put a hold on it based on the reviews and melmac's wishlist (our tastes coincide often), not because it's written by Rowling. Even better, when I was looking at the reviews on Amazon I glanced at the "other books people bought" line at the bottom of the page and noticed a new book by Mick Herron (followup to Slow Horses, called Dead Lions). Turns out my library has that as well, so it's on hold too.

[DreamWriter]

I don't have any issue with Rowling writing under a pseudonym, but the fabricated, misleading author biography does rub me the wrong way:

After several years with the Royal Military Police, Robert Galbraith was attached to the SIB (Special Investigative Branch), the plain-clothes branch of the RMP. He left the military in 2003 and has been working since then in the civilian security industry. The idea for Cormoran Strike grew directly out of his own experiences and those of his military friends who returned to the civilian world. 'Robert Galbraith' is a pseudonym.

[JD Gumby]

Er, virtually every pseudonym comes with an author bio, quite often written to justify the subject material of the book (one of the red flags to alert you to a possible pseudonym). ie, no big deal.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

I don't have any issue with Rowling writing under a pseudonym, but the fabricated, misleading author biography does rub me the wrong way:

Books today are just about always published with an author bio blurb. If left out, it's obvious the author has something to hide. As a result, it is impossible in today's world for a successful author to write under a pseudonym without fabricating the bio.

If you allow that, the question then becomes whether telling the truth is more important than the advantages of using a pseudonym, such as knowing your reviews are unbiased by your reputation. I say that the misleading bio squib hurt no one, and is among the most innocent and forgivable of misleading statements.

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by medard

I don't understand why people whant get this book now.

Why is this book interesting out of a sudden? There are thousands of books each year that sell less than 1'500 copies.

I guess if you were a mystery reader and then you found out this was actually Rowling you might be tempted to nibble to see what she does with it. Beforehand you may well have bought it if you knew about it, but it's not like there aren't hundreds of authors to choose from. Knowing could allow it to drop through your filter process pretty quickly.

I actually don't have any problem with what Rowling is doing here, but I would have a chuckle at any suggestion that it wasn't a carefully coordinated stunt.

[SouthernSun]

Originally Posted by medard

I don't understand why people whant get this book now.

Why is this book interesting out of a sudden? There are thousands of books each year that sell less than 1'500 copies.

Many of us, myself included, consider Rowling a "trusted author" to whom we will automatically gravitate, and whose books are an immediate purchase. I had never heard of this book before finding out that it was by Rowling, and I likely never would have; now, though, I've already got a copy being sent to me.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by SouthernSun

Many of us, myself included, consider Rowling a "trusted author" to whom we will automatically gravitate . . .

With me, it's the opposite. I prefer realism, and read one of her Potter books without enthusiasm. And the review I read of The Casual Vacancy eliminated any chance I'd read that. Her wanting to distance herself from her authorial past makes me, if anything, want to read it more.

Now, if I hadn't seen the article in today's New York Times Latest News Blog about The Cuckoo's Calling, and/or this thread, I wouldn't have put it on my TBR list. But if I had come across one of the rave reviews British newspapers published in May, I also might have it on my TBR list.