JK Rowling, whose publisher initially requested that she author the Harry Potter books under the letters of her first and middle name so that boys wouldn't reject a novel written by a woman, is no stranger to the pseudonym.
The public was pleasantly surprised, nonetheless, to find out that it was Rowling herself who penned the acclaimed spy novel The Cuckoo's Calling under fake name Robert Galbraith.
Calling, a book about a war veteran who becomes a private investigator, sold around 1,500 copies before the Sunday Times reported that Rowling was, in fact, the author.
In the hours following the news break, The Cuckoo's Calling soared to the top spot on Amazon's sales list, moving up 5,000 places, the BBC reported.
Rowling stated that she wanted to "keep this secret a little longer," and described "being Robert Galbraith," as a "liberating experience."
"It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name," she said, after releasing a statement following the news.
Rowling also mentioned that her editor, David Shelley, was "a true partner in crime" throughout the writing, editing and publishing of the novel.
"And to those who have asked for a sequel, Robert fully intends to keep writing the series, although he will probably continue to turn down personal appearances," she slyly joked.
The novel was published by Sphere, part of Little, Brown Book Group, and has been described as a "scintillating debut," as well as a book penned by a male author that had an uncanny ability to describe female clothing.
One crime author, Mark Billingham, said he was just "gobsmacked" at the revelation.
Others were onto Rowling, saying that the author let a clue slip that she was behind the book when she mentioned that she and Galbraith shared an angent and editor.
Peter James, another writer of crime fiction, said that he "thought it was written by a very mature writer, and not a first-timer."
According to the "Movers and Shakers" of Amazon, where sales are charted every hour, book sales for Calling experienced a 507,000 percent increase practically overnight.
