OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
I have been debating the gender issues in the perception of books for a while now, and I have finally made a decision.
Joanna Penn is now J.F.Penn for thrillers/action-adventure/ anything I write that is in a genre that is dominated by men.
I will use Joanna Penn for my non-fiction and other works I have in the pipeline. Why am I doing this?
Feedback and reviews that I write like a man
Pentecost and Prophecy have some pretty violent scenes. I burn a nun to death on the funeral pyres of Varanasi and disembowel a psychiatric patient in the first few chapters.
It's not horror but it is thriller with a high body count and I make no apologies for that.
I like action movies. I like Lee Child's Jack Reacher. I love James Bond. In fact, one day, I'd like to be the first female writer to pen a Bond novel – move over Jeffrey Deaver! But apparently it's worthy of comment when a woman writes this type of thing.
Here's a comment I received by email about Pentecost. ‘It seems funny knowing you – I would definitely have thought the book was written by a man…”
and a lovely review stated:
“…this kind of sprawling, globe trotting, religious themed, action adventure thriller is historically the province of men; retired marines, mercenaries or CIA analysts. Or Dan Brown. It’s what you expect. And Joanna is, self evidently to my well trained eye, a woman. So then my not entirely foolish expectation when perusing her first novel was of something a little more, you know, delicate in character….But wow, beneath her pleasant and chirpy demeanour lurks the black heart of a terrorist interrogator, a fearless adventurer.” [Thanks for the great review Phil!]
I don't mind being compared to a man. It doesn't offend me. In fact, I find it kind of liberating.
But I don't want any consideration of my gender to come up when someone reads my books. I want them to have a great fun read and escape the world for a time.
So if changing my name to initials stops any second thoughts, then it's worth it.
Evidence that the categories I want to rank in are dominated by male names
As I write this, both Pentecost and Prophecy are in the Top 100 Action Adventure titles for the first time. (#5 and #82 respectively but you know it changes every hour!)
I'm excited as this is a category I like to rank in. I also rank consistently in Religious Fiction which is a more varied category.
Action Adventure is certainly male-dominated. Stieg Larsson, George R.R. Martin, John Locke, Steve Berry, Clive Cussler, Lee Goldberg, Tom Anthony, J.A. Konrath… these are the names from the Top 20 as I read them right now. There are a few scattered female names but it's an overwhelmingly male group.
I don't know whether there are more male readers in this category. I certainly buy these authors but I don't think women readers are that hung up on the gender of the author. But apparently men are and they are less likely to buy from a female name. Feel free to say otherwise, male blog readers!
Men also get more attention and reviews. But I won't be changing my gender, for now at least!
Evidence of other female writers who use initials or male names
A number of women writers of successful women writers use initials. The reader doesn't know who they are until they look behind the curtain which, I think, is how it should be.
- NYT bestselling thriller author C.J. Lyons
- Baroness P.D. James, whose honours come from services to literature and who is still putting books out aged 92. ‘Children of Men' seriously rocked.
- J.K. Rowling. A woman in a man's fantasy world.
- Romance author Nora Roberts turned into J.D.Robb for her suspense/crime novels, a more male dominated genre
- Others include M.J.Rose, J.T.Ellison…I could go on…
Using a male name is an option. A now-famous example in the blogging world is James Chartrand who came out as a woman on Copyblogger.com after years of writing as a man. Her business is ‘Men With Pens' and writing as a man totally changed her business. I'll be interviewing James on the podcast and we'll discuss this further.
Does it matter?
The author doesn't matter. The reader matters.
The author's gender shouldn't impact the way the story is read so it's best to make it a non-issue. Initials are neutral. They have no gender bias and I like that approach.
I know there will be some people who disagree. But I do consider myself a feminist in the truly inclusive sense of the word. Men and women are different but equal and we should all have the same opportunities. I want to be a bestselling, name-brand author. This will clearly take some time but I don't want my gender to be an issue either way as I write the books I want to write.
What do you think about gender in publishing? Are initials acceptable for women to write under? Are male buyers influenced by a female author name?
Emeka says
I read books from both male and female author. Plus, I even read more of female authors. But please men and women are not equal. Why do we like lying to ourselves?
An author can change his or her name in order to sell more books. That’s a good marketing strategy. But we are not equal.
I studied Industrial Mathematics and I know the meaning of the sign =. Any two men aren’t even equal. So why should someone say that men and women are equal.
As women strive for gender equality, it appears they are getting what they want. However, they are forgetting that men are coming up with other means of domination (subtle ones) everyday.
Joanna Penn says
Update:
I am very excited to feature in an article on Forbes.com about gender in publishing – check out page 3 🙂 http://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2012/06/08/creative-penning-how-women-write-in-todays-male-dominated-genres/
Phil South says
That’s brilliant, and what a GREAT bit of publicity. Well done you. And wait who is that insightful and well written review quote by… oh my, that would be me. 🙂 Ha ha. Ok, it’s unattributed but I am still walking around smiling. I stand in the glow of your reflected adulation.
Joanna Penn says
Sorry it is unattributed! I did send the reporter the link to your blog and name, but I didn’t have control over the article. But very cool anyway. Thanks for being part of the decision process.
Phil South says
haha I guessed you would have supplied them with the materials, but I worked as a journalist long enough to know all too well how these things work. 🙂 and it is still very cool!
A pleasure to be part of the process.
Phil
Kimberly Davis says
Joanna, I think you are very brave to take on the gender issue, and to be so public about your “re-branding.” Good for you! You are showing us rather vividly that we all still read differently based upon whether we are reading a man, a woman, or if we don’t know. I have had Men with Pens on my sidebar for years, not knowing there was a woman back there. And yes, I probably credited her more for it. And I think of myself as a “liberated woman.” You have me thinking about whether I should be re-branding myself. However, since I write mostly nonfiction, I’m not sure that’s going to work very well. 😉
Joanna Penn says
It’s good to be self-aware Kimberley 🙂
I don’t think I am brave though – just someone interested in selling more books and I understand the reality of gender politics. I was raised by a single Mom who was told in one of the first companies she joined to use the back staircase – and this was in the 1980s! I definitely consider myself a feminist, but not a militant one.
Susan Kaye Quinn says
It kind of makes me sad that this is *still* an issue, but at least there are some women writing these genres. I noticed the same thing the other day when I was ranking on the science fiction charts. At first I was all giddy to have my book alongside my writing heroes (both trad-pub and indie-pub). Then I realized … I was the only girl at the party. Not that I’m not familiar with that situation (having worked in a male dominated field, engineering). And I didn’t think about the effect of my name at the time, but now that you bring it up. .. I’ve been considering initials for my straight-SF (as opposed to YA SF).
J Gordon Smith says
Hooray for engineering 😉
There are some marketing books by Al Ries that a company name should avoid using initials – because your name is half your marketing program. So unelss you have already ‘made it’, IBM won’t have a meaning like International Business Machines does. Would you know to call SLMC when the grass in your yard needs cutting like you might when seeing Super Lawn Mowing Company? Which is easier to remember when you’re on the phone with the city because your grass is too tall?
Having a popular common name I needed to modify with an initial. However, it’s already made it hard for a few people to find my books – “Hey I tried finding your book on Amazon and I couldn’t find you? Why is that?”.
How many actors or actresses use initials? I can’t think of any (see, a marketing problem). They do change their names though, John Wayne was Marion Robert Morrison.
Susan Kaye Quinn says
@JGordon That’s an excellent point! I’m still on the fence about it, also thinking that my adult books (which may be less suitable for the YA crowd) could be differentiated by the initials – and that S.K. Quinn is close enough to Susan Kaye Quinn that people could easily make the leap. Then again, I know I get confused (and frustrated) when I can’t find my fav author because they change names across genres.
And part of me is just stubborn. 🙂 Part of being indie is that YOU get to choose how you want to go about things. Being loud-and-proud about who I am, and what I write, is much more consistent with my personality than worrying about gender issues. Part of me thinks, “Hey, if you’re the kind of guy that thinks girls (even ones with Ph.D.’s in engineering) can’t write SF, then please do not read my books. Because there might be some kissing and some subtle emotional/ethical issues in there that might disturb you.”
🙂
Maria says
Hi Susan and Joanna and all,
I am a baby boomer and I am proud of being a feminist for more than 40 years. I am a fiction and non-fiction author, performer and shaman. I write fantasy and shamanic stories and novels as well as about personal growth and spirituality. Reading this makes me so sad. During my 20s to 40s I made hard choices that closed male-dominated mainstream doors for me. I do not regret any of those choices because they were done out of love; love for myself and the sisters who would come after. Those doors would have opened wide if I had played a subservient or more gender-expected role. But I am a seeker of freedom, and that did not suit my heart. So I got excluded. I was labeled. It was not “fine” but it was what I had to do in order to change our Herstory, in order to open new paths. So it is sad to see that still in the 21st century, in so many fields, there is still the same obstinate male domination that I faced. Now I am wiser and I realize that often it is not this man or the other or even “the system” that pressures us. It is the mindset of the time (what shamans call the Domestication Trance). But we are PART of that trance that sees some genres as belonging to some genders. Our decisions are not only about us, but impact that mindset and conserve or change those patterns. I am not judging you for your choices. We need to support, not attack each other in order to prevail. I also understand when you have two brands that are so different with different readers that you may have to use different names. But I ask you to consider this question: If the women writers in a male-dominated genre change their names to hide their gender, when will the readers get used to women writers in that genre? In my experience, what works better is to join other women doing the same in your field and create a movement, a following, pushing for a new mindset and opening your own opportunities. Back to my story: I was not published by those male-dominated sources. But I was finally published by other women and unbiased institutions and it was better that way because I was in excellent company. Thank you for continuing, triumphing and persevering, and blessings to you whichever strategy you choose.
D H Jay (see what I did there?) says
I think I will use initials because I have a “strange”/foreign name & not that i think people would be racist, but even so. plus initials are cool and mysterious XD plus i tend to look at a cover to see if its cool, or if the title sounds good. then i read the back. i dont even care about the author XD i only check the author if i need to find the sequel 😛
Eldon Sarte says
Works the other way around too, it seems, when men venture into genres normally associated with female authors.
Joanna Penn says
I agree to a point, although Nicholas Sparks is kicking the romance genre 🙂
Eldon Sarte says
Oh, there’ll always be anomalies. Which is why they’re called anomalies. 🙂
Joanna Penn says
Just saw this article and wanted to add it to the discussion – gender works the other way too. ‘Female’ Romance writer of 22 novels Jessica Blair turns out to be 89 year old veteran named Bill http://litreactor.com/news/female-romance-author-of-22-books-actually-80-year-old-war-vet-called-bill
Awesome – I love that he was able to write this way and not be outed for so long – and I hope that it doesn’t impact his sales.
Melinda says
Love this post! I think it is sad that women still have to disguise their gender to sell in certain genres. I write in one of those genres too. I’m still trying to figure out the name I want to put on my books. I don’t think Melinda Primrose will evoke killers in the hearts and minds of anyone who picks up the book.
Thanks for explaining why you did it!
Joanna Penn says
Love it! Melinda Primrose is definitely NOT a horror or thriller author name – but how about
M.P.Rim – that sounds hardcore 🙂
Melinda says
Love M.P. Rim. Also considering Mel Peters. Peters is my maiden name. Still trying to write a printable book lol. I have one that I hope never sees the light of day. Working on 2 other ones now. I hope to have at least 2 MSs done by the end of the year. Wish me luck lol.
Thanks for everything.
Melinda
Inertial Confinement says
M.P. Rim — That name just sent a chill down my spine.
Krysta says
Awesome post, and I just found out about Robert Galbraith from you. Thank you for your advice!
I don’t think I really considered the gender of the author when choosing a book to read, and I honestly can’t recall the authors names of some of my favorite books growing up. But when it comes to specific genres, like thrillers and action adventure, it can definitely be helpful to have a name that flows and makes people think the author’s work will be as interesting as the genre. 🙂
Rick Castagner says
Love to read your genre.. just finished an old Cussler, The Serpent”. I have no problem with a female writing these type of books, if I enjoy them. Will check out one of your books.
Just published a rather timely book on a related subject.. the Evolution of the Modern Male and Female. The book is basically a guide to bring the male and female back together again. Check out my blog.. http://rcccabo.wix.com/richardcastagner#
First book.. really appreciate the sharing of your publishing and marketing knowledge.
Cheers from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Rick
Karen says
Doesn’t writing under a pseudonym make it more difficult to market your book? Do you maintain seperate websites and social media accounts? What about convention appearances? In considering a male name for a work of political fantasy I’ve heard two sides to this issue.
Joanna Penn says
I’ve covered this in more detail in this post http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2014/01/26/a-tale-of-two-author-brands/
Zee says
I know this is an old post, but I’m making this decision at the moment, so I’d like to add my two cents.
I’d decided a while ago to publish under my initials, Z. R. Southcombe, partly just cause it sounds nice. (I know, terrible reasoning, but I like beauty, even if it’s sound beauty!)
A few friends had suggested publishing under my full name, Zenobia Southcombe. It’s a pretty unique name, and has a bit of an exotic ring to it. Another part of that persuasion is that it is my work, and I should proudly be sharing as such.
I have decided to go with my initials, though. In the end – like you’ve said – I think my gender is unimportant. Gender neutrality is a theme that’s coming up in my books as well (totally unintended, I might add) and it’s not about being judged as a female, it’s about the fact that being a female is not important to the story, and shouldn’t make a difference either way.
Love your work, Joanna. Your interviews are so helpful as well!
Zee x
Joanna Penn says
I think Zee is pretty cool – as is ZR 🙂 and Zenobia is also but it does sound like a fantasy heroine 🙂 It might work if you write fantasy!
Alexis Radcliff says
Hi Joanna! Great insight. If you could go back and do it all over again, would you still have done it the same way (with three years more experience)?
I’m wrestling with the same problem right now. I write plot-driven, violent, epic fantasy, and have a debut novel publishing soon that I can’t decide whether to put out as “Alexis Radcliff” and “A.R. Radcliff.” I’m having lots of discussions about it and getting feedback both ways. See: http://www.reddit.com/r/fantasywriters/comments/31wcry/gritty_epic_fantasy_pen_names_and_female_authors/
There just doesn’t seem to be an easy answer. :/
Joanna Penn says
I’m very happy with the outcome and I LOVE having separate brands for my two sides – fiction and non-fiction. I think the initial thing is a good middle ground – as you’re not denying who you are, just using a different version of your name. You could use Alex Radcliff, which is also gender neutral. Better than initials as it’s easier to speak out loud on a podcast 🙂
Rick Castagner says
Joanna,
You totally have my support amiga for your thrillers, have read 3 of them, they are very good.
Love the genrie.. just saw Fast and Furious 7 tonight… emotionally drained… WOW..
hang in there and count your blessings.. I am an author myself (non-fiction) and still waiting for my series to take off..
cheers,
Rick
Mv says
Been thinking about this for months – you have convinced me, thanks! I will be using initials for make dominated genres.