In late April, Robert Galbraith published his first novel - a mystery called "The Cuckoo's Calling" - to rave reviews but relatively few purchases. Yesterday, Robert Galbraith's book was languishing at 4,709 on Amazon's bestseller list with 1500 sales. Now, the book's sitting at number 1; a 156,866% sales increase in 1 day.
What was responsible for such a dramatic change in fortune?
Robert Galbraith was revealed to be the psuedonym of a little known author named J.K. Rowling.
How often did people pass by the book at their local Barnes & Noble (they still exist, right?) and not give it a second glance simply because of the name of the author?
And, how often do we in HR look over a resume or judge performance simply by looking at the name of the applicant or employee?
It's an all to familiar lesson - you can't judge a book by its cover - literally.
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