The 'Harry Potter' author says that she is 'very angry' because one of partners at Russells law firm is the one behind the leak of her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith.
- Jul 19, 2013
AceShowbiz - J.K. Rowling admits that she was "very angry" after learning that law firm Russells contributed to the leak of her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith. "I have today discovered how the leak about Robert's true identity occurred," Rowling said in a statement, as quoted by the Guardian.
"A tiny number of people knew my pseudonym and it has not been pleasant to wonder for days how a woman whom I had never heard of prior to Sunday night could have found out something that many of my oldest friends did not know," she added. "To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. I had assumed that I could expect total confidentiality from Russells, a reputable professional firm, and I feel very angry that my trust turned out to be misplaced," Rowling continued.
The law firm has apologized "unreservedly" for the incident. Russells explained that the wife of one of its partners, Chris Gossage, told her best friend, Judith Callegari, about Rowling's pseudonym "during a private conversation." The firm added that "the disclosure was made in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly." Callegari later spilled the secret to a Sunday Time's reporter via Twitter on July 9.
The statement continued, "Whilst accepting [Gossage's] own culpability, the disclosure was made in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly. On becoming aware of the circumstances, we immediately notified J.K. Rowling's agent. We can confirm that this leak was not part of any marketing plan and that neither J.K. Rowling, her agent nor publishers were in any way involved."
The sale of the crime novel "The Cuckoo's Calling" soared after Rowling was outed. The publisher was said reprinting 140,000 copies to meet demand. The novel previously was sold only 1,500 copies since its release in April.
