J.K. Rowling Donates ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’ Royalties To Charity

J.K. Rowling will be donating all the global net royalties of her most recent novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, to charity for the next three years.

Rowling also accepted a donation from Russells, the law firm that leaked her name as the author of the spy novel. The firm agreed to reimburse her legal expenses and to make a “substantial donation,” by way of damages, to the Soldier’s Charity, formerly known as the Army Benevolent Fund.

Rowling was outed as the author of the novel earlier this month in the Sunday Times. It was revealed that Chris Gossage, a partner at Russells, disclosed the information to his friend, Judith Callegari, who then gave the information to a journalist on Twitter. Rowling said that she did not want to use her real name for The Cuckoo’s Calling because she didn’t want the pressure.

J.K. Rowling’s attorney, Jenny Afia, said her client “has been left dismayed and distressed by such a fundamental betrayal of trust.” Very few people were aware that the book’s author, Robert Galbraith, was really Rowling.

A statement issued on Rowling’s behalf Wednesday said that royalties dating from July 14 — the day she was revealed to be Robert Galbraith — would be donated to the Soldier’s Charity for a period of three years.

“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,” Rowling said in the statement.

Rowling said she always intended to make the donation out of “Robert’s royalties” but that she did not anticipate the novel making the bestseller list just three months after publication, or even at all.

“We are absolutely thrilled by the extraordinary generosity of JK Rowling who is such an internationally renowned author,” Major General Martin Rutledge, chief executive of the Soldier’s Charity, said. “This donation will make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of soldiers, former soldiers and their families who are in real need.”

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