Is it unethical to query under a pen name?

Prawn · Feb 9, 2008

What if you have written a good book, but you are not the best person to write the book, so it is not getting any attention from agents?

I recently talked to an AWer who had written a book about a Muslim woman, but he is a white man. He is not even getting his book read, he is being rejected off his (let's assume for the moment, excellent, fully critiqued) query and he thinks that his race/gender is one reason why he is getting no response to his query letter. If he had a female pen name, or even a Muslim sounding surname, it might make some difference in whether or not he gets requests for partials/fulls.

I understand that he would need to sign contracts in his own name, so he would have to reveal his identity eventually, but would it be unethical to use a pen name if it is more likely to get your book read by an agent?

Perks · Feb 9, 2008

Hmmm. That's a very interesting question. I have nothing to offer to help, but every now and again, the questions so intriguing that I have to insert myself into the discussion. It's probably a pathology. Sorry about that.

I'll keep quiet until someone qualified to answer has a point to make.

Claudia Gray · Feb 9, 2008

I saw the header and was going to reply saying, "Of course not, but it's counterproductive." Then I read the note.

Under these circumstances, I'd say that it's unethical -- or, at the very least, useless. If he uses a pen name that suggests he is Muslim and/or female, the agent may read the manuscript more quickly, I don't know. However, that agent is automatically going to think that this author's background is going to play into the publicity for the book should it ever sell, etc. When the agent finds out that this is not the case, any objections are still going to be in place. Were I an agent, I'd also feel duped; pen names, as you know, are usually something you don't worry about much until a book is sold, so using it at this stage, in this way, is basically lying to your agent. If it were me as the agent, I wouldn't feel very encouraged at that point.

(And no publisher with any sense would agree to use that pen name in stores, IMHO. This isn't like a guy coming up with a female pseud if he wants to write category romance.)

I don't know if this person's race and gender is why he's getting turned down. I imagine it doesn't help, but OTOH, I honestly believe a sensationally written book could overcome that hurdle if (and this is such a huge if) you find an agent with some vision.

Prawn · Feb 9, 2008

It seems like there are preconceptions involved with names, but your book is still your book, whether your name is Bill Jones or Mohammad Rahman.

I do, however, see your point about the agent thinking about promotion from the get-go. I understand the agent might feel duped which is bad, but the flip side is that the writer is rejected because of a sterotype.

If it is ethical for the agent to consider his or her assumptions about your ethnicity and gender based on on your name because of promotional considerations, why would it be unethical for an author to chose a name for his own promotional considerations, i.e. getting his book read/agented/signed?

Cathy C · Feb 9, 2008

Like Perks, I thought the question was a no-brainer. But I can see why it could be an issue to an agent or editor. There is the "platform" concept to consider and that old adage "write what you know."

But that said---it SHOULDN'T matter, just like it shouldn't matter what the color of your skin is when you apply for a job or a scholarship. It shouldn't matter if you dress sloppily for an interview if you're really qualified. Yet, it's an issue.

The ethics are still clear in my head. It's unethical to submit under a pen name, because even if the manuscript is read, once the truth is known, it'll be a ding in a relationship that is founded on trust.

I wish I had some words of wisdom for your friend, but the sad truth is that he might well have to find a "co-author" for the publication process . . . even if the co-author is nothing more than the front person for pictures and signings. I hate it, but that's all I can think of.

Shady Lane · Feb 9, 2008

I've thought about this, because I have a ms with some (subtle) Christian themes and I have the clunkiest, most obviously Jewish last name EVER. And seeing as how I was querying that ms under the title Christmastime for awhile...I probably generated some raised eyebrows.

JamieFord · Feb 9, 2008

To fabricate your background or hide your Caucasian ethnicity behind a Muslim-sounding name just to get agents' attention seems disingenuous. In some cases, it can become downright fraudulent--as with the critically acclaimed book The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams by Nasdijj.

It turned out that "Nasdijj" wasn't Navajo, but a white guy named Timothy Barris.

I honestly don't think the name thing matters. If his book is good it'll eventually get read by agents.

After all, Memoirs of a Geisha was written by a white guy from Tennessee.

ORION · Feb 9, 2008

It will always come down to the writing. I agree with Jamie. But consider this.

I am not a cognitively challenged man but that's what my book is about -- HOWEVER -- even though I write fiction my back ground in disability and diversity issues and father winning the lottery has been a platform. AFTER my agent (and even editor) liked my pages- the first things they discussed were the fact they could focus on these things in interviews and reviews.
So my question is does the writer have any unique experience or insight that make his book better than one actually written by a muslim woman?
Again I repeat- this is a question that will be asked AFTER the pages or manuscript are read and loved...

Claudia Gray · Feb 9, 2008

Prawn said:
If it is ethical for the agent to consider his or her assumptions about your ethnicity and gender based on on your name because of promotional considerations, why would it be unethical for an author to chose a name for his own promotional considerations, i.e. getting his book read/agented/signed?

Because ultimately, you're going to have to pay the tab. Using a pen name in that way is deceiving the agent about the fundamentals of his/her ability to market this novel. That's a valid and important consideration for the agent to have when asking whether to take on an author. When he steps out from behind the curtain as a white guy, the agent is not only going to feel played, but the assessment made about the manuscript has to essentially be refigured from scratch. Would you lie to any other sort of business partner about the fundamentals of your sales plan in that way? I wouldn't.

Besides, as JamieFord pointed out with Memoirs of a Geisha, a gender/ethnicity match is not necessary for a book to sell and thrive. But if that writer had tried to pass himself off as a Japanese woman and the public had found out about it? There would've been a LOT of anger, and book sales would've dipped. By being honest about who he was and how he'd researched what he knew, the author added to his credibility and is no doubt still raking in the royalties.

In short: It's a big lie for little gain and possibly an enormous loss. Make the manuscript strong enough (and the query letter specific enough about his research and knowledge) to overcome any potential bias.

ishtar'sgate · Feb 9, 2008

I was puzzled by the assumption that a novel about a Muslim woman written by a white man would be ignored or rejected because of it. If writers research their subject and their voice rings true, I can't see an agent passing on it for gender and ethnicity reasons. Marketing strategies could amplify the understanding a white man has for a Muslim woman and would be a good thing, I think.
Linnea

Dragon-lady · Feb 9, 2008

I don't know about unethical, but I can't imagine a better way to destroy a relationship with an agent that to have to say, "hey, I've been lying to you this whole time."

maestrowork · Feb 9, 2008

I think it's disingenuous and dishonest. You should always be upfront. And I don't see how it could be a problem. After all, Arthur Golden wrote Memoirs of a Geisha -- he's neither a woman or Japanese. He didn't even use a pen name.

You could, however, write under a pen name. But you should query under your real name.

blacbird · Feb 9, 2008

Prawn said:
It seems like there are preconceptions involved with names, but your book is still your book, whether your name is Bill Jones or Mohammad Rahman.

A complete digression, but I have to say it: I used to work for a Mohammad Rahman. No joke. He was from Egypt, and was easily the best supervisor I ever had in the world of the huge multinational corporation. He got me a plum transfer to the U.K. for three years. He's now retired and living in the San Diego area.

Hijack over. Carry on.

caw

Sean D. Schaffer · Feb 9, 2008

It's funny you should mention this now. I was just reading a thing in the Writers Market hard copy edition, that said if you mention your pen name in a query, it should be secondary information. The article said not to put the pen name into the first paragraph, for example, to keep confusion about who is writing the book, to a minimum.

mikeland · Feb 9, 2008

I'm going to start by agreeing with most of the posts here. Don't try to dupe your potential agent. It's too important of a relationship to start out with a lie.

That said, does this person have any concrete evidence that the book is not being read because of his ethnicity or gender? We'd all love to come up with a conspiracy theory for not getting a positive response, but usually it comes down to the agent not connecting with the writing. Maybe he should stick with agents that take a decent sized partial with the query and see if he still gets no response.

One other point. Yes, from his first name the agents probably know he is a guy. But does his name really peg him as a white guy. To use a Daily Show construction, is his name Caucasian McWhiteguy? I'm just saying I'm not sure race has anything to do with it. So really the question is whether agents think only a Muslim woman can write about a Muslim woman. I doubt it.

P.S. hey blacbird, your former supervisor, Mr. Rahman, is retired you say? Maybe he wants to co-author a book?

Hopcus · Feb 9, 2008

I understand where he is coming from, it's hard when you think something is keeping your book from getting the attention it deserves, but you shouldn't start out any relationship based on a lie.

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 9, 2008

How about using initials rather than his full name? Worth a try.

You don't want to go the J.T. LeRoy/Nasdijj/Danny Santiago route here--that's really a sore spot in the publishing industry at the moment.

veinglory · Feb 9, 2008

It seems to me that a whole fake name, once revealed, would be something of an insult--saying you believed that specific person would be prejudiced against you and so needed to be fooled. I doubt that would go down well.

However using a first initial ambiguates gender and Western-sounding surnames mean nothing these days especially for women who may have married into it. The bio might represent something of a challenge, however.

JeanneTGC · Feb 9, 2008

Is his premise fresh? His writing unique? His query truly as crisp and engaging as he thinks? Is he actually querying the right agents for this work? How many have said no -- is it 5, 10, 50? What feedback, if any, has he gotten?

I'd suggest taking a hard look at all of those before lying. And I wouldn't recommend lying. There have been a number of authors caught in some kind of lying to the public, and the reaction is rarely a shrug.

Polenth · Feb 9, 2008

mikeland said:
That said, does this person have any concrete evidence that the book is not being read because of his ethnicity or gender? We'd all love to come up with a conspiracy theory for not getting a positive response, but usually it comes down to the agent not connecting with the writing. Maybe he should stick with agents that take a decent sized partial with the query and see if he still gets no response.

I remember seeing a romance writer who had a book turned down at a later stage when it was realised she wasn't the same race as the main character. The comment was on the lines of she wasn't the right person to tell this story. I can't confirm if it was a true story or not, but it isn't that far-fetched that things like that would happen.

With that said, there are plenty of examples of authors getting published in these situations. I could see getting turned down in a few cases due to a race/gender mismatch, but not by every agent.

wayndom · Feb 9, 2008

Several years (decades?) ago, there was a scandal around a book about (I believe) a black kid in school. The book had been well-received and won a prestigious award before it was revealed that the author was not a black woman, but a white man. (Wish I could remember some details that would enable me to look it up...)

There was a VERY big stink over it, even though the book was marketed as fiction. I suspect that any agent aware of this would be loathe to submit a book under a false author, because she'd have a hard time placing any other books later.

eyeblink · Feb 10, 2008

There was a case about twenty years back - a novel was submitted to a women's press in the UK (I think it was Virago, not sure) and pitched as a semi-autobiographical story about a teenaged British-Asian Muslim girl. The book was actually published before people found out that "Rahila Khan" was a white Anglican vicar called Toby Forward.

It caused a huge controversy at the time, and I read articles (I've not read the novel in question) that reassessed passages originally thought of as sensitive and insightful as being possibly racist.

I do agree that there's a climate (possibly PC-based, though I think it's been going on longer than that) that only people from minority groups should write about people from said minority groups. The corollary to that is that if you are from a minority group then all you will presumably want to write about is the experience of being in a minority - ethnicity, sexual orientation, disablement and so on. And I do agree that it is harder to write about something you don't have first-hand experience of. But that's what imagination and imaginative empathy are for, and without those you won't get very far in writing fiction.

icerose · Feb 10, 2008

If it were me and I thought it was because of my name that was stopping agents from even taking a look, I would include the first five pages with my paper query. That would be the easiest way to find out whether or not it's because of your name or the story itself. IMO. I could be wrong, and anyone is free to disagree with me.

maestrowork · Feb 10, 2008

icerose said:
If it were me and I thought it was because of my name that was stopping agents from even taking a look, I would include the first five pages with my paper query. That would be the easiest way to find out whether or not it's because of your name or the story itself. IMO. I could be wrong, and anyone is free to disagree with me.

If the agent would outright reject you based on your name, it's not an agent you'd want anyway.

Cathy C · Feb 10, 2008

This is actually a really interesting question to me right now. See, I'm in the process of writing a new YA paranormal. The MC is male, African-American and in high school. I, on the other hand, am female, of VERY caucasian stock (German and Norwegian) and could have kids in college.

But does that mean I'm not going to TRY to publish it? No. The MC is the right person to tell the story. He's the person who appeared in my head when the plot popped into my head. He's the person who my agent fell in love with.

However, this IS making me think that a pen name might be in order. Even if just initials. Still, my prowess with writing male first person is already known. Heck, we have a lot of male fans who say they'd invite some of my main characters over for a beer and a poker game.

So maybe I can pull it off . . . just like maybe the other AWer can pull it off. I don't plan to lie about it, nor would I submit it under a pen name. The only question is whether I should get someone to read it and maybe get a good solid name as a cover quote that will resonate with the readers.

Okay, that's an idea. Look for a cover quote. If the author doesn't want a co-author, find a prominent muslim woman to read and offer a quote. "Prominent" can mean a politician, author or other public figure. That could make the difference in acceptance versus rejection.

Just a thought.

Is it unethical to query under a pen name?

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