14 July 2013 Last updated at 14:03 GMT
JK Rowling revealed as author of The Cuckoo's Calling
JK Rowling's secret was uncovered after a Sunday newspaper became suspicious
JK Rowling has secretly written a crime novel under the guise of male debut writer Robert Galbraith.
The Harry Potter author was acclaimed for The Cuckoo's Calling, about a war veteran turned private investigator called Cormoran Strike.
The book had sold 1,500 copies before the secret emerged in the Sunday Times. Within hours, it rose more than 5,000 places to top Amazon's sales list.
Rowling said she had "hoped to keep this secret a little longer".
The author described "being Robert Galbraith" as a "such a liberating experience".
'Sequels plan'
"It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name," she said in a statement.
Rowling said her editor, David Shelley, had been "a true partner in crime".
"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 added.
One reviewer described The Cuckoo's Calling as a "scintillating debut", while another praised the male author's ability to describe women's clothes.
A clue that Rowling was behind the novel was that she and "Galbraith" shared an agent and editor.
The book was published by Sphere, part of Little, Brown Book Group which published her foray into writing novels for adults, The Casual Vacancy.
Crime writer Peter James told the Sunday Times: "I thought it was by a very mature writer, and not a first-timer."
While crime author Mark Billingham, who reviewed the book ahead of its publication in April, said he was "gobsmacked" at the revelation.
Rowling also caught out others with her new guise.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-2330418