Last night it was revealed that J.K. Rowling has written the new crime novel The Cuckoo’s Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Which publisher turned her down?!
The Harry Potter fan community was shocked yesterday to learn that J.K. Rowling has written a new book right under our noses.
Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, Rowling released The Cuckoo’s Calling on April 18, 2013.
The book was published by Little, Brown, the publishing house that also handled her most recent non-Potter novel The Casual Vacancy.
But it seems like Rowling shopped around before selecting a publisher – and not everyone wanted to commit to the crime series.
Following the news that The Cuckoo’s Calling was in fact written by Rowling, Kate Mills of Orion Publishing revealed via Twitter:
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?
— Kate Mills (@Kate7Mills) July 14, 2013
It is unclear whether Orion was aware that Rowling had written the novel when they turned it down, although Mills indicates in a reply to author Ian Rankin that it was submitted under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym:
@Beathhigh No, came on submission and I thought the writing was good but it would be tough. And it was. Until yesterday…
— Kate Mills (@Kate7Mills) July 14, 2013
Naturally, this statement has stirred up Rowling’s supporters, and Mills has been busy answering questions on her personal Twitter account.
Notably, she explains the publishing house’s main reasons for turning down The Cuckoo’s Calling. She is quick to state that it is not so much the book itself that is the problem, but rather the tough current market for crime novels.
Mills writes, “It’s perfectly good but the market is tough. Hard to launch a crime series right now.”
We have contacted Orion for more details and clarification, and will update the story as soon as we know more.