JK Rowling unhappy alter ego was revealed before Robert Galbraith could make a name for himself

J.K. Rowling says she was unhappy her identity as Robert Galbraith was revealed before he could make a name for himself as a crime writer.

JK Rowling Harry Potter

AUTHOR J.K. Rowling has revealed she had offers from two television firms to bring the crime novel she wrote under a pseudonym to the screen even before she was "outed".

The Harry Potter creator was exposed last week after publishing a detective tale, The Cuckoo's Calling, under the name of Robert Galbraith earlier this year.

Her unmasking left her angered, particularly when it emerged that her cover was blown by a senior figure at a legal firm which has represented her in the past.

Rowling has now pointed out the book was already gathering interest for adaptations and had sold a respectable number of copies. But she said it was becoming "increasingly complicated" to keep the charade going.

She said: "At the point I was 'outed', Robert had sold 8500 English language copies across all formats (hardback, eBook, library and audiobook) and received two offers from television production companies.

"The situation was becoming increasingly complicated, largely because Robert was doing rather better than we had expected him to but we all still hoped to keep the secret a little longer.

"Yet Robert's success during his first three months as a published writer (discounting sales made after I was found out) actually compares favourably with JK Rowling's success over the equivalent period of her career."

Rowling reiterated that her exposure was not part of a clever marketing campaign to boost sales and she had gone to great lengths to continue under the guise.

Writing on a website set up for Galbraith, she said: "If anyone had seen the labyrinthine plans I laid to conceal my identity - or indeed my expression when I realised that the game was up - they would realise how little I wanted to be discovered.

"I hoped to keep the secret as long as possible. I'm grateful for all the feedback from publishers and readers and for some great reviews. Being Robert Galbraith has been all about the work, which is my favourite part of being a writer."