# The Cuckoo's Calling **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564 "2013-07-15T14:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/1 "2013-07-15T14:45:16Z")
Anybody read this before it was revealed that [debut author Robert Galbraith was really J.K. Rowling](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/13/jk-rowling-pseudonym-robert-galbraith_n_3592769.html)? Did the reveal change your opinion of her as a writer? ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/2 "2013-07-15T15:05:31Z")
A friend recommended it to me, so I put it on hold at my library last week, before Rowling was outed. Good thing, since there are 80 people on hold now and I’m number 9. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/3 "2013-07-15T15:09:20Z")
In that article it mentions that prior to the reveal, the book had sold 1500 copies - so I bet not a lot of people here did. After, sales went up 150 000%. Wonder if that’s a boost or a blow to her ego. On the one hand, the pure writing didn’t sell well and on the other hand “People love me! Plus $$$” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/4 "2013-07-15T15:17:09Z")
Breaking into the writing business is hard. Nobody can honestly expect to do it twice. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/5 "2013-07-15T15:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Set in London, it features a one-legged private detective called Cormoran Strike, who is hired to investigate the death of a supermodel called Lula Landry. The names are more suited for a _parody_ of a detective novel. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/6 "2013-07-15T15:28:41Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Breaking into the writing business is hard. Nobody can honestly expect to do it twice. That’s very true though it made me immediately think of Stephen King/Richard Bachman. “Thinner” released under the Bachman pseudonym sold 28,000 copies and only increased 10X after the reveal according to the [wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bachman). ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/7 "2013-07-15T18:41:41Z")
I didn’t read it, but I may now. I’ll get it for my daughter at least. I’m 65th in line at the library. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/8 "2013-07-15T19:27:27Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > In that article it mentions that prior to the reveal, the book had sold 1500 copies - so I bet not a lot of people here did. I honestly wonder where they got that number from. A search of [WorldCat](http://www.worldcat.org) (a catalog of every library in North America) shows that the book was purchased by 567 systems. 11 individual libraries within my local system have purchased the book. Assuming my system isn’t atypical, a total of 2500 copies should have been sold just to libraries just in North America. Cuckoo’s Calling was a critical hit, so I’d wager the 1500 number is just being thrown around to make people think it was “completely unknown” instead of just being “not very well known.” ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/9 "2013-07-15T19:32:48Z")
Now I’m sure of it. Spotchecking a few of the systems on the list, I get the following numbers: Buffalo, NY - 20 copies Toronto - 17 Pittsburgh - 19 Cleveland - 35 New York City - 17 Brooklyn - 11 That’s 119 copies right there. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/10 "2013-07-16T01:02:26Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I honestly wonder where they got that number from. Huffington Post cites it as coming from Harry Potter fansite Leaky Cauldron, and Leaky Cauldron doesn’t cite it at all. So the 1,500 figure might very well be made up, a rumor, or just a typo. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/11 "2013-07-16T01:09:42Z")
According to this [article](http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jul/15/cuckoos-calling-jk-rowling-did-you-know), the 1500 number was the hardcovers sent to bookstores within the UK. Since it’s out of stock at both Amazon UK and Amazon US, there was probably a standard print run done and this reveal caught the publisher off guard. I’m sure they are rushing a second print run. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/12 "2013-07-16T01:44:00Z")
I wonder how quickly the secret would have come out if the book got bad reviews. Would anyone have bothered to learn more about “Mr. Galbraith”? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/13 "2013-07-16T02:54:31Z")
The CBS news report said that suspicions were raised because the book was “too good” to be a debut novel. There are not enough :rolleyes: We’ve all read outstanding debut novels. If we hadn’t, nobody would ever talk about the “sophomore slump”. My guess is that Rowling published under a pseudonym because (almost) nobody liked **The Casual Vacancy**. If this latest novel hadn’t been well received, the secret may have never come out. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/14 "2013-07-16T09:01:08Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > I wonder how quickly the secret would have come out if the book got bad reviews. Would anyone have bothered to learn more about “Mr. Galbraith”? Cynics are already asking that. While the book was well received in crime fiction circles, it was still a fairly obscure title from an unknown author. Why would a newspaper be interested in it? The journalist in question got an anonymous tip directly saying that the author was in fact J K Rowling. From whom, we wonder? ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/15 "2013-07-16T13:57:48Z")
Cormoran Strike and Lula Landry sound like they could have attended Hogwarts or taught there. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/16 "2013-07-17T17:46:53Z")
I wonder if there’s a link between the name Galbraith and the economist **J** ohn **K** enneth. Looking for more connections between **Ro** bert and **Ro** wling, ala “I Am Lord Voldemort/Tom Marvolo Riddle/Steven Marcato”. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/17 "2013-07-18T18:02:11Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wonder if there’s a link between the name Galbraith and the economist **J** ohn **K** enneth. I really think you could be on to something there. Meanwhile, the source of the leak has emerged (unless you believe this to also be part of some huge orchestrated publicity stunt) - someone at Rowling’s law firm blabbing to a friend. JK not happy, and they have apologised. > **[JK Rowling 'very angry' after law firm are revealed to be source who unmasked...](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/jk-rowling-very-angry-after-2062573)** > > LAW firm Russells have apologised to the novelist after one of its partners revealed Rowling had published the detective thriller The Cuckoo's Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/18 "2013-07-19T14:46:32Z")
I hope that she fires the law firm or that they fire him. Or he should lose his license. That’s a major breach of trust. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/19 "2013-07-19T15:08:09Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I hope that she fires the law firm or that they fire him. Or he should lose his license. That’s a major breach of trust. Which makes the story even more :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564/20 "2013-07-19T15:13:24Z")
I don’t believe the idea that this is some “huge orchestrated publicity stunt.” If they wanted publicity, they could have just released the novel under her real name, as they did for The Casual Vacancy. I believe what Rowling has said; that she wanted the book judged on its own merits. So I think the lawyer screwed up majorly, and perhaps after having had too many glasses of wine. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cuckoos-calling/663564.md?page=2)