Who is Robert Galbraith?

So do you know the author Robert Galbraith? Even if you don’t think you do, chances are you probably do anyway. Because Robert Galbraith is not a man. Robert Galbraith is not a debut author. In fact, Robert Galbraith is none other than one of the world’s best selling authors – J.K. Rowling.

J.K. Rowling has surprised us all by publishing a crime novel under a pseudonym. Isn’t that incredible? And no wonder she chose to do this. No one could review The Casual Vacancy without referring to Harry Potter. Of course. So it isn’t all that surprising that Rowling wanted to see what people really think of her writing abilities without having them compared to Harry Potter all the time. Or that she has enjoyed being able to write and publish a book without any expectations from the public and without all the hype.

As far as I can tell, no one knew. The news broke today and have become quite the story. Of course. A new series from J. K. Rowling! Even though I don’t care about crime fiction, the fact that it is J.K. Rowling makes it interesting. And it makes me consider reading the book. And there’s nothing wrong or bad about that. We don’t only read books because their covers are pretty or their blurbs sound good – we choose books because of the person who wrote them. I haven’t read The Casual Vacancy yet but I own it and intend to read it. For the same reason. It’s J.K. Rowling and I want to see what she’s up to – and if she can write something else than Harry Potter.

And a lot of other people feel this way too. The book was published back in April and had sold only 1500 copies – but after the news of it’s real author broke, it’s Amazon sales apparently have gone up more than 150,000%! Wow! I’m not sure I’m really surprised or impressed by this new number but it is a helluva lot of more books sold because the author name has changed! And it is #1 on the Kindle bestseller list. And I guess on every other bestseller list out there.

What I find really interesting is, that this time Rowling has gotten reviews based on skill alone and not on reputation or previous bestsellers. And it seems that the book has actually gotten very good press. The reviews have been extremely positive and apparently, it was discovered that it was Rowling because a journalist thought the book was way too good to have been written by a new writer and a ex-British army officer at that. So after a real life detective story, Rowling was found out…

About the book – from Amazon:

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.

Strike is a war veteran – wounded both physically and psychologically – and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model’s complex world, the darker things get – and the closer he gets to terrible danger . . .

A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London – from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho – The Cuckoo’s Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is a classic crime novel in the tradition of P. D. James and Ruth Rendell, and marks the beginning of a unique series of mysteries.

And about it’s (fictional) author – from The Huffington Post:

Born in 1968, Robert Galbraith is married with two sons. After several years with the Royal Military Police, he was attached to the SIB (Special Investigation 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 protagonist Cormoran Strike grew directly out of his own experiences and those of his military friends who have returned to the civilian world. ‘Robert Galbraith’ is a pseudonym.

So what do you think? Are you going to read this new J.K. Rowling book?