r/books discussion

SO! This novel was actually written by none other that the acclaimed author, J.K. Rowling under a male pen name! Has anyone here read this yet? How do you feel about Rowling going undercover?

Here's an article: http://www.people.com/people/article/...

By her going undercover, it shows that she doesn't want her fame preceding her and wants her novels to be taken seriously in that genre, instead of just being known as a woman who wrote HP and anything else she wrote was of little consequences and dismiss, like the The Casual Vacancy just because it wasn't HP. It wasn't fantasy, it wasn't an adventure, and it was for adults. I'm glad she's trying to write under a pen name because she's not going to be able to get away from her reputation as the HP writer without it.

I absolutely agree with you and I commend Rowling for doing something other than her usual....although...I really hope she starts writing more books in the HP universe at some point.

I am attaching a link to a CNN article that an acquaintance from college posted on FB titled "A Better Story Than J.K. Rowling's"... it is about an author who copied word-for-word the novel that won the National Book Award that very year-- 1969. He sent it to agents and publishing houses, even the very publishing house that published the award-winning novel.

Not only did no one recognize it, no one would touch it. They all said somewhat positive things about it but claimed it wouldn't catch on... and remember, this book had ALREADY won the National Book Award that year!

I found it to be fascinating... the friend found it extremely disheartening.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/21/opinion...

@Jennifer, I love that article because I have read so many stories of writers being rejected.

http://bubblecow.net/11-famous-writer...

Here's a short snippet of an article about how many times famous writers were rejected. I think this is why there is the whole bestselling author categories, because unlike the music industry with it's one hit wonders and then the artist disappears, the people do come back again and again to their favorites writers.

Unless I am wrong and I would like to see if anyone had any examples of writers who were one book wonders?