Hi. I am an aspiring Asian Indian Genre Fiction author living in the U.S. and I want to use an American pen name for the following reason: The existing cultural/social identity disparity may cause me to be received unfavorably if I use my real name (Asian Indian name). Unfavorable social stereotypes may exist that could preclude me from establishing a large group of loyal readers of my works of Genre Fiction. Is it a good idea to use a pen name for this reason? How would I be received if my true identity is later discovered by my readers? Thanks.
People use pen names for all sorts of reasons, and I believe readers are typically understanding of that. I don't think you'd get negative backlash for using an Anglophonic sounding pen name if the truth came out, so to speak. Whether it's a good idea -- I dunno. I don't know your actual name. But if it's one that us dumb Americans would trip over excessively, yeah, it's probably not a bad idea to use a pseudonym.
You could probably just sort of anglicize your Indian name if you wanted. Like, Amitabh Bachchan could be Ami Bach, or Andy Bachman, or whatever. I don't think there'd be anything wrong with using a completely new name, either.
Thanks for your reply. I feel better from what you said. My Asian Indian name is rather hard to pronounce and coupled with the social/cultural disparity and social stereotypes, I think your feedback is relevant and advisable. Thanks!
This is a good idea. I'll consider it. Thanks. I have a question about the Yi-Fen Chou affair, in which, Michael Derrick Hudson, an American poet used the Chinese pen name Yi-Fen Chou in order to get his poems published. Why was this so controversial. I don't understand it. Is it because he unethically masqueraded as a Chinese author in order to get his poems accepted by literary journals? How is this different from the reason why I want to use a pen name? Of course, I don't condone any of Hudson's unethical intentions and I hope the same issue doesn't apply in my case.
I don't think they're equivalent. There's a fair bit of precedent set by people with 'ethnic' names (frequently Asian and African) that American readers would find problematic, and by women trying to become successful in male-dominated genres, using Anglophonic or male pseudonyms in order to break the bias that would be working against them otherwise. I had to google the Michael Derrick Hudson thing but I think the problem with his approach is that when you reverse things, it becomes about trying to present yourself as some sort of exotic novelty and give yourself a leg up by co-opting the perceived hardship that someone in that group could/would encounter. An article I glanced over about this dude mentioned that the editor who accepted his work was intrigued by a seemingly Chinese author whose work seemed fascinated by European history / mythology / symbology. It implied that that's part of what tipped the editor over into accepting him, and clearly, that wasn't deserved -- it's fake depth. IMO it's on the editor for weighing the author as an external character of sorts rather than just judging the work, but I do find the author's method sketch, too. Anyway, yeah -- I don't think they're analogous. You're cool.
My understanding is that for that anthology, the editor was consciously seeking diversity from the poets and gave the poem in question extra attention because of the apparently Chinese name. I'm not sure that you'd be seeking extra positive attention so much as you'd be trying to avoid any unfair negative attention?
These are good points. Thanks for your reassurance that I am fine. Your explanation also made it clear as to why it was controversial. Thanks. No, I'm not seeking positive attention but rather trying to avoid unfair negative attention. Thanks, guys.
I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and, sad to say, it may be a good decision. The actor Kal Penn's real name is Kalpen Suresh Modi, and while I can't find the article, I read that he was having a hard time getting auditions until his roommate suggested he choose a more English-sounding name. It's unfortunate, but if you do have an "exotic" name, people may assume that your writing will be similarly exotic. As far as being found out, I don't think it would be a problem, no one thinks less of UN Ambassador Nimrata Haley (née Randhawa) for going as "Nikki."
I agree that an american pen name would be preferrable, but for different reasons. Personally, I think the stronger arguement is the one that recognizes the fact that, if you target audience are americans, then they'd identify more with the pen name and be more likely to read it. Anywho, just do what you want, whether you're name be Jack or Amara, the people who truly like your work won't give a damn one way or the other.
These are good points. Yes, one of the reasons why I want to use a pen name is for this very reason. As you said, Americans would identify more with an American pen name.
Half of the people I know in China have a western nickname used when traveling, just because the Chinese names are hard to pronounce right, causing them not to react when their names are spoken.
And depending on how difficult your name is for non-Indians to pronounce, it may be beneficial to retain at least some distinctive flavour. This will be especially true if you include any Indian characters in your book (which I think could be a great idea). Yes, the mainstream anglo culture in the US is dominant and huge, and there's definitely an appeal to getting into that market. But there are lots and lots and lots of aspiring writers with the same goal, so the competition is fierce. You may want to consider trying to appeal to both the mainstream market and a "niche" market (although it certainly sounds strange to consider a market that covers billions of people as "niche"!) If you can make your name (and your story) familiar enough that we boring white folk won't be confused by it but still maintain enough Indian flair to make us feel we're experiencing a new world, you could have a great combination. And if you can tap into the Indian-American market, you could have a great niche. If you can expand to the larger Indian-in-India market?!? Holy smokes! So maybe don't be too quick to make yourself totally homogenized - there may be advantages to a different approach.
Well you might want to think about keeping your name as well. And see how you get on. If you feel you are being rejected for publication because of your name, then you can change it. But I wouldn't rush to second-guess the market or your readers. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/11-books-by-indian-authors-you-must-read-at-least-once-in-your-lifetime/
Great points. I was actually thinking of using an Indian detective in my Mystery series. I thought it would give the series a unique spice to it, much like Agatha Christie used Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective, as the main protagonist. I'll definitely consider this. Thanks.
