Rowling changing her name for her new book

SVZ · December 3rd, 2005, 08:05 AM

Quote:

12/2/05: ROWLING TO CHANGE HER NAME FOR NEW BOOK

Author JK ROWLING is keen to start a new project once the final book in her hit HARRY POTTER series is finished - but plans to use a pseudonym.

Rowling, who has sold over 300 million books worldwide and spawned four Harry Potter movies to date, already has ideas for a new series of books, but wants her future work to be judged away from the success of the Potter novels.

She says, "There is another book that's sort of smouldering in a cupboard that I quite like which is for slightly younger children.

"There are other things I'd like to write. But I'll need to find a good pseudonym."

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You know part of me thinks she's doing this in case it's a huge flop...she isn't that great of a writer and most of her ideas are mimicks.

twitchy · December 3rd, 2005, 08:57 AM

Possibly, but she's right in that if she doesn't use a pseudonym, critics will be endlessly comparing any new book to HP. I'd hate to be under that pressure if I was a writer. I do enjoy the Harry Potter books regardless of any lack of literary merit. They make great ripping yarns and are fun to share with the kids. As A.S.Byatt (one of my favourite authors) said rather scathingly, "It is written for people whose imaginative lives are confined to TV cartoons, and the exaggerated (more exciting, not threatening) mirror-worlds of soaps, reality TV and celebrity gossip." Hey, nothing wrong with a little celebrity gossip!

moocow · December 3rd, 2005, 09:35 AM

There area lot of authors who use a pseudonym or two when they are writing a different series or genre of books. Some off hand are Jayne Ann Krentz, Nora Roberts, and I'm pretty sure that Meg Cabot had used different names for some of her series originally.

Stephen King wrote as Richard Bachman. There's another male author I can't recall who wrote murder mysteries, but used a different pseudonym for some books. I guess maybe they want to test the waters, or maybe it's ego, wanting to make it to the top based solely on writing skills.

euro-kitty · December 3rd, 2005, 11:19 AM

Anne Rice wrote books under the pseudonym Anne Rampling.

I agree with you SVZ,I think she's afraid of flopping.

Grimmlok · December 3rd, 2005, 01:43 PM

Stephen King used Richard Bachman for a couple novels, including the brilliant "The Running Man" which was almost completely seperate from the stupid movie.

buttmunch · December 5th, 2005, 07:08 AM

Considering that we know all these authors wrote under assumed names, isn't is safe to assume that we will know what her assumed name is when the book comes out? How the hell are they going to keep that a secret?

A*O · December 5th, 2005, 07:36 AM

If I had made zillions writing the HP books, but wanted to do something different I think I would do so under a different name. Whether it's any good or not is another matter, but hopefully people will judge your work more objectively?

Glasgow53 · December 5th, 2005, 10:36 AM

I agree with A*O, I think she is trying to produce a completly new book, and wants to see how it is received without the infamy of Harry Potter attached to it. What does she care if she does a flop, she had made enough money she can afford to risk it. And yes, Grimm, I loved Running Man. I generally like futuristic books and I could see that totally happening. A game show where the contestant has to run for his life? Someday we will have it.

phishtickie · December 8th, 2005, 05:58 AM

I agree^
As for Richard Bachman, I also enjoyed all his books, but to me it is obvious that Stephen King wrote those under a pseudonym simply because they are something quite different to his usual style.
Not to mention, buttmunch, that the real identity didnt come out from the beginning or anything, but after quite a while.. People wont know in the beginning anyway..
I dont think that people caught on to HP because it was "big".. I mean in the beginning, Rowling hadnt made anything else at all, but people were still gripped by the whole story and concept. I dont think that ALL the millions of readers are into the story because of marketing..

ourmaninBusan · December 8th, 2005, 08:56 AM

Sometimes an author can have mixed financial reasons for
using an alias/pseudonym.

1. If Stephen King wrote a romance, and it was good, people
would still not believe it. They'd look at the cover with its
buxom maiden and its pirate and say, "Pffft! Stephen King?
What does he know about romance? I bet the pirate tortures her
or goes insane or gets eaten by rats..." and they won't buy the book.

2. Most authors are not powerful, and they get trapped into a bad
contract with a cleverly worded option clause.

According to a book called "How to be your own literary agent,"
an option is just supposed to be the publisher's right to guarantee
that he is the first one to consider the next manuscript from an author.
But there are plenty of ways that the author is trapped by it; if you
read the book you'll know why.

So one way to get out is to insist on an option clause that says
"This publisher shall have [the option] of my next book
written under my own name, [Stephen King]..." and then
King has the legal right to submit another book, under another
name, to a new publisher without getting sued by his first publisher.

moocow · December 8th, 2005, 09:03 AM

Ohh yes, and that is why Prince changed his name to a symbol until his contract ran out. If he recorded as Prince, even though it's his actual name, then the record label owned it. But by changing it to a symbol, not only did he get around it, but he got instant and long-lasting publicity.