Rowling donates court damages to troops
Dave sends us a link to the BBC which, as a follow-up to our post about JK Rowlings’ stolen valor tells that she sued her lawyer for leaking the fact that she wrote the book and not some pseudonymous former military man.
The court heard Rowling had been “left dismayed and distressed by such a fundamental betrayal of trust”.
Mr Gossage, Ms Callegari and Russells all apologised and the firm agreed to pay the author’s legal costs.
It also agreed to make a payment, by way of damages, to the Soldiers’ Charity, formerly known as the Army Benevolent Fund.
Rowling explained that she was donating the money “partly as a thank you to the army people” who helped her 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 said.
[…]
Rowling said she would also be donating all the royalties for the book to the charity.
OK, I feel better.
Category: Support the troops
Well, class act she is. I know there was a lot of apparent butthurt about this but I was more like “Meh” as she was writing as a fictional character.
If her actions go towards helping veterans and smoothing things out then I say good on her.
JK Rowling has done a lot of charity work before. She wrote a couple of books and donated the proceeds from them in the past.
As for the controversy, I think it was a non-issue from the start and this cements my opinion.
Well, this explains the bio on the back cover…she was describing the veterans who helped her with her research.
So in effect she wrote this book for military charity and all proceeds go to such… well, that calms any righteous rage I could be feeling. Way to go JK
Still never read her books.
but I may now… God knows the wife and kids have enough of ’em
That was a nice gesture by Rowling but she was still posing as a veteran for her personal monetary gain. She would not have revealed her true identity willingly and would have kept the profits if she had not been exposed.
JK Rowling is one of the most charitable people out there right now. I seriously doubt she created the pseudonym and the background to go with it to “profit” in any way. She’s beyond rich, and donates substantial portions of her income to worthy causes.
She is the last person I would castigate on this topic.
I’m still mad at her for writing those books that got turned into movies that my wife watches over and over and over and over and over again.
@9…. amen to that
@7 Jumpmaster
She said she always intended to donate the proceeds and they’ve skyrocketed because of HER name, not because it was supposedly written by an ex-soldier. She made a lot more money AFTER it came to light she was the author. Her charitable past would make me give her the benefit of the doubt….
She said she had “always intended” to give the charity “a donation out of Robert’s royalties” but “had not anticipated him making the bestseller list a mere three months after publication”.
Major General Martin Rutledge, chief executive of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, said they were “absolutely thrilled” by the author’s “extraordinary generosity”.
“This donation will make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of soldiers, former soldiers and their families who are in real need.
To go with my comment @11
The Cuckoo’s Calling, about a war veteran turned private investigator called Cormoran Strike, had sold 1,500 copies before it was revealed that Rowling was its author.
Within hours, the novel rose more than 5,000 places to top Amazon’s sales list.,
So I guess I’ll just stop asking authors for their DD214s when I review their books because you’re totally cool with any-ol’-body claiming to be John Clarke incarnate writing your entertainment.
I’m going to write under the pseudonym of Nikko Kaha De’Losada the dolphin-fish riding SEAL
Twist–that’s why I have a garage. Next stop: man cave.
@9.
I hear you.
They cut into my Sunday Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson and Chuck Norris movie time.
Not to mention 21 hours of Rambo and Jaws.
I do not ask for much in life, just give me my Sunday movies.
Geez.
I just challenge the idea that she did this for her own personal gain, clearly, she did not. I guess I draw a distinction between writing about the supposed authors own daring do (ie. claiming to be factual) vs. fiction which is what this book had been billed as from the start.
From my non-military perspective…claiming that the author was a vet was wrong. However, I do not think she did it for personal gain. I think she liked the freedom a nom de plume gave her and created a fictional author without thinking how real soldiers might feel. That said, she has both appologized and made a substantial donation to charity which is more than most do when caught. I don’t think she is getting a pass so much as she is being seen as atoning for her mistake.
Jonn, I think you should continue to ask for a DD214 when reviewing vet authored books because most posers are doing for personal agrandizement rather than literary freedom.
I approve…still don’t like her books, but I approve of this course of action. Not like it would matter to her, anyways.