Writing The Breakout Novel After A Break

Could J.K. Rowling break out of the Harry Potter mold? Could she get an assessment on her ability to write something other than YA wizard lore?

In short, could the renowned author pen a breakout novel?

In short, no.

The literary world is abuzz with the news that J.K. Rowling wrote a detective novel under a pseudonym, to find out if she had the writing chops. Naturally, if she had published under her own name, her fans would have purchased the book and then complained because there were no boy wizards or sorting hats or witchy paraphernalia. The actual prose would have gotten lost in expectations, and when an author is feeling a little unsure of her talent, it would do nothing to boost her self-esteem or offer the reassurance that fans like her books for the writing and not the name on the cover.

Ms. Rowling's first venture into adult literature fell a bit flat amid criticism that THE CASUAL VACANCY was not all that. It was, perhaps, too adult for those accustomed to her initial series of books. The characters she created were not likeable like Harry Potter et al., although reviewers felt that the world she created was similar in the juxtaposition of the powerful against the weaker members of small town society. It was not done in a way that was pleasant, however, like all the Potter books, so it was deemed less than stellar.

Last spring, Ms. Rowling published another adult novel, this time using a pen name to hide her identity. No one would compare THE CUCKOO'S CALLING to her earlier works because she made up an identity. She hid behind a mask, presenting a work of debut fiction from a fictional writer who was supposedly retired from the security industry. Her literary agent went along with it, because when you represent a writer with the following of J.K. Rowling, you pretty much let her do as she pleases.

The book sold just over 400 copies.

Not a blockbuster, by any means. A genuine debut author would be unlikely to win another publishing contract with such low sales. By one account, an editor who rejected the manuscript did not fall in love with the story. Ms. Rowling received a sincere and unbiased appraisal in that offhand way. If the editor had known who the writer really was, she would have snapped up the manuscript at once. Instead, she looked at the potential to sell through and found it lacking.

The prose was considered outstanding, and reviewers questioned if the writer were indeed a novice, so polished was the product. In the end, however, good reviews did not sway the reading public. 

Somehow or other, the true identity of the author was leaked and voila, as the French might say, sales shot through the roof.

The book is in a second printing to meet demand, a demand that did not exist until the reading public learned who actually wrote the novel.

So you have a manuscript that is polished, with perfect grammar and pretty words all in a row? Even J. K. Rowling couldn't break out with that. It takes a good story to make a good manuscript that people will buy. After that, you can rely on your name.