“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” argues Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She is trying to make a point that what matters is what something is, not what it’s called. Ah, try and tell that to agents and publishers in today’s writing universe.
The Rose of Sharon
Just recently, it was revealed that J.K. Rowling (famous author of the Harry Potter series) published the novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, under a pseudonym, Robert Galbraith. As successful crime writers tend to be men, she thought she’d use a male pseudonym for her first crime novel.
Though the reviews were stellar for a debut crime author, sales went nowhere until her true identity was revealed. And then, the book’s sales shot up into the stratosphere.
So, what does that tell us? Good writing helps but it’s not the sole reason that people buy books. As written in the wonderful post on bookdesigner.com, name recognition, i.e., the author’s platform, is a key factor in book sales.
But then there’s the story about a debut author who chose a pseudonym for different reasons. He could’ve promoted himself by using his own name (Joe King) and didn’t because he had something else to prove. As the son of Stephen King, the prolific bestselling novelist, Joe began to labor at his craft at the age of 11, writing daily. He wanted to make it on his own merits and not trade on his father’s name. Using the pseudonym, Joe Hill, his first two novels were rejected. He became a published novelist for the first time at 35 with the book, Heart-Shaped Box. Who knows if his journey would’ve been easier if he had used his family name.
And then there are those who use their fame to get their memoirs, children’s stories, and cookbooks on to the book shelves. Are they written better than ones written by those in the shadows? I doubt it. It’s a curious business, but when you know the rules, an understandable one.
So, what’s in a name? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I like the fact that J K Rowling didn’t use her name. Sometimes you can get more of an honest opinion when people don’t know who you are, and she made a smart move to gage if her work as a crime novel writer was good enough until her identity was revealed. I wonder how she felt seeing it wasn’t selling as well, at first.
The fact she also had to pretend to be a man also tells me that maybe it’s an issue being a woman writing crime novels.
Regardless to what anyone says, a famous/popular name can sell almost anything and that’s a shame when the product is not good enough. If Oprah mentions it, sales will hit the roof. We should all be thinking for ourselves and not allow others to influence us.
As hard as it might be for some to get recognition, at least Joe King and many others can say they did it through sheer hard work and on their own.
I agree with you. How many more authors would get their due if the public wasn’t so easily swayed by celebrity and a huge p.r. blitz? For more prominent female authors who’ve used a male pseudonym, read http://www.divinecaroline.com/entertainment/seven-famous-female-authors-who-used-male-pseudonyms. Thanks for stopping by.
Great post! I could not agree more with your take and yes, I agree with Rum. If Oprah mentions it, it’s gold. Even if it’s aluminum foil.
Thanks, Julia. Love the aluminum foil remark!
Though I do not use one myself, I really commend writers who use pen names, especially in the instance when they are using one in order to let the work speak for itself and not their own (or in King’s case his fathers’s) which might already be attached to some notoriety. It really speaks to the writing speaking for itself and not the branding and marketing of the product.
Totally agree, Luke. If I had a parent, who was a famous writer, I, too, would want to climb out of his shadow.