J.K. Rowling to donate Galbraith royalties to Soldiers’ Charity

After her recent unmasking as the writer behind the pseudonym Robert Gailbraith and the crime novel “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” J.K. Rowling announced Wednesday -- her birthday -- that the worldwide publishing royalties from the book will be donated to The Soldiers’ Charity, a British charity that provides support for soldiers, former soldiers and their families.

The central character in “The Cuckoo’s Calling” is a soldier, and in a statement Rowling explained, “This donation is being made to The Soldiers’ Charity partly as a thank you to the Army people who helped me with research, but also because writing a hero who is a veteran has given me an even greater appreciation and understanding of exactly how much this charity does for ex-servicemen and their families, and how much that support is needed.”

She plans to contribute net profits from the book for three years, beginning with the date Rowling was revealed as the true author of “The Cuckoo’s Calling.”

This decision was made public after Rowling brought legal proceedings against Chris Gossage, who is a partner at Rowling’s law firm, and his friend Judith Callegari.

It came out in London’s high court Wednesday that the pseudonym reveal was the result of Gossage casually mentioning it to family friend Callegari, who then spilled it to a Sunday Times journalist on Twitter.

Rowling was firm in her insistence that the pseudonym was not a marketing ploy, but “The Cuckoo’s Calling” has received quite a boom in sales nevertheless. In Rowling’s statement, she notes: “I had not anticipated [Gailbraith] making the bestseller list a mere three months after publication (indeed, I had not counted on him ever being there!).”

The London High Court decided on the case. Both Gossage and Callegari apologized for the leak, and the Russells law firm apologized and agreed to both pay Rowling’s legal fees and to also make a substantial donation to The Soldiers’ Charity.

Maj. Gen. Martin Rutledge, chief executive of The Soldiers’ Charity, said Rowling’s “tremendous show of support for the charity will help to remind people of the many sacrifices made by our soldiers, long after any news of Afghanistan has left the front page.”

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