From her first creation — an abused, magically gifted orphan — to her most recent — a broken but capable detective — J.K. Rowling has come a long way in mainstream fiction writing. She penned her first novel over two decades ago when the charm of books was quickly fading from people’s minds after a flood of movies and advancements in technology. With the magic of her words, Rowling created a bespectacled, skinny boy and announced herself to the world as she made reading cool once again.

Rowling’s journey to the list of most beloved authors in the world began when “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” received a modest publication of 500 copies in 1997, and Rowling herself received the suggestion to look for another job. But her works were — and still are — appreciated by readers and critics alike, expanding even to an audience of adults who picked up these so-called children’s books.

The movies came along and brought a new medium to Rowling’s storytelling. Long lines were seen outside bookstores before the release of a new “Harry Potter” book — a phenomenon unheard of at the time. Rowling herself became a celebrity, constantly doing interviews and interacting with fans across the world. She became as familiar to her readers as the characters themselves.

When the “Harry Potter” book series came to an end in 2007, Rowling kept herself away from the literary world for some time, giving rise to suspicions among readers whether she had ever planned to go beyond the series. It was hard enough to see their favorite hero fading into the sunset, let alone being abandoned by the author herself.

Rowling’s next work, “The Casual Vacancy,” sold very well, despite mixed reviews from critics. After that, the author faded back into the shadows.

When “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” a crime novel by Robert Galbraith, was released in April of last year, it took months for anyone to uncover the connection between Rowling and the author. However, it was eventually confirmed that Galbraith was in fact Rowling’s pseudonym.

In a recent interview, when asked why she chose to write under a pseudonym, Rowling gave a response that was hardly surprising. Rather than viewing her celebrity status as a perk, Rowling saw her fame as a burden that would prevent her from pursuing new frontiers in fiction writing. She said as Galbraith, she would be able to start from the beginning and receive honest feedback without expectations or hype obscuring readers’ opinions.

“The Silkworm,” a sequel to “Cuckoo’s Calling,” will hit bookstores this summer, and with Rowling’s name out in the open, expectations for the mystery series have skyrocketed. However, Rowling has chosen to keep her pseudonym as she journeys with readers into the realm of crime fiction.

While Rowling does not deny her celebrity status, Galbraith may provide a buffer between the well-known “Harry Potter” author and the new series.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, April 10 print edition. Sukrat Gupta is a contributing writer. Email him at [email protected].