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Was told to get a pen name
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Dude, Khaled Hosseini .....to start with.....name has nothing to do with anything.
I agree that is is very arabic.However, OF COURSE it is - you come from an arabic country, so go figure.
Personally, I would not hesitate to pick up one of your books because of your name. If anything, I would find it intriguing - the name alone indicates that you might have a different perspective, or a different cultural background than I have, so your writing could be new and interesting to me.
However, there is something to be said in favour of pen names.
Like you said, they can be used to make the author's name sound more mainstream for the target audience. Florence Summerdale will appeal to readers of sweet romance much more than John T. Hunt. He sounds more like a thriller author. There's whole essays on the psychology of "soft" and "hard" sounding names.
I have a Lithuanian last name that is difficult to spell for English speaking people: Kenklies. I have gotten mail addressed to "Mrs King-Cleese", which was funny, but wouldn't help my readership to find me. I chose an american-sounding pen name for that reason.
Another trick, at least for trad published authors whose books are sold in bookstoreas across the country, is to pick a last name from the middle of the alphabet.
Most bookstores sort their books by genre, and then alphabetically on the shelves. That means Al-Sheikh will be on the top left, and Zelazny will be on the bottom right. However, most people browsing in bookstored focus on the middle shelves right in front of them, so the best place to be on that shelf is somewhere in the middle.
But you can definitely "make it" as a writer with an arabic name!
Naguib Mahfouz won a Nobel Prize for Literature, so there.
Yeah, ignore the stupid person who told you that!If there's any bigots who won't read your book because of your name they don't deserve to read your work!
I don't think Salman Rushdie ever struggled to sell books ;-)
I only have a pen name because I don't want the fame. I just want people to read my books and love them for their own merit. And being a romance novelist, having a persona to hide behind gives me courage to write naughtiness.
Never be afraid to be who you are. Go for it.
xx
Use a pen name if you want to. Don't, if you don't want to. I use a pen name, partly because my legal last name is my "divorced" name, plus it's harder to spell and remember than my maiden name, which is Wilson. So I use my maiden name.Just do whatever feels right to you.
Mod
What do you guys think?"
Who told you this? Was it an agent of many writers who have gone on to fame and glory, or just someone with an opinion to share? That's where I would begin - the source. Was it someone who truly knows what it takes to "make it" as a writer?
It's really up to you. There certainly is a prejudice against Arabic and Islamic people, but I don't think it's so great that it will stand in the way of success. There are far more people willing to accept you for who you are. And, really, aren't those the people you'd want reading your books, anyway?
I think perhaps there may be those who will not read your book because your name sounds Arabic, but then, there will be those who will read it because it sounds Arabic. And there will be those who don't care.
My wife at first didn't want me getting my real name in public. Then one day we were examining her family tree, and all the brothers and sisters were excited because they were descended from a famous writer. That's when I decided to use my real name. Who knows, maybe our great-grandchildren will point with pride that they are our descendents.
My wife at first didn't want me getting my real name in public. Then one day we were examining her family tree, and all the brothers and sisters were excited because they were descended from a famous writer. That's when I decided to use my real name. Who knows, maybe our great-grandchildren will point with pride that they are our descendents.
Ahmed wrote: "Apparently my name is too Arab/Islamic to expect I'll ever make it as a writer?What do you guys think?"
I think anyone who would pass on reading your work because of an Arab name is the sort of person I wouldn't want reading my work. You should have a pen name because you want to use one, not because of anything like this. That's terrible advice.
J.D. wrote: "Ahmed wrote: "Apparently my name is too Arab/Islamic to expect I'll ever make it as a writer?
What do you guys think?"
I think anyone who would pass on reading your work because of an Arab name i..."
I agree--awful advice. Use your name if you want to, or a pen name if you want to, because YOU want to, not because anyone else said to.
What do you guys think?"
I think anyone who would pass on reading your work because of an Arab name i..."
I agree--awful advice. Use your name if you want to, or a pen name if you want to, because YOU want to, not because anyone else said to.
Honestly, an Arabic name on a Fantasy or Sci-Fi book would catch my attention because it's out of the ordinary. It may actually prove to be an advantage. Like everyone else has said, if you decide to use a pen-name, do it for your reasons, not someone else's.
Personally, as a caucasian, my advice is probaly worthless because I have no way of experiencing what you have experienced.However, I *am* a female who refuses to use a pen name specifically due to the gender bias in science fiction and fantasy, so my reply is a vehement "Don't hide who you are. We will never truly be a global society until we learn to get over ALL bias and prejudice."
Al-Sheikh is a pretty damn cool name.
If I could play devil's advocate, I would say the answer to your question is "it depends." If the only criticism was that it sounds too Arabic, then take it with a grain of salt. Unless the name is hard to read/pronounce to your intended audience then ignore it and go with your name. I know names can get long and if you're trying to sell to a Western audience, it wouldn't hurt to shorten a long name to make it more manageable.I think another case (and it doesn't sound like this is your case since you didn't bring it up) is if you share a name with someone infamous. You might want to think about a pen name if your last name is bin-laden and you're trying to sell in the United States. This has been an issue regardless of ethnicity though. Someone sharing a name with an actor or politician they don't want to be associated with, or they have the same name as a serial killer.
But if the only criticism is that it "sounds" Arabic, then I wouldn't worry about it.
Well there goes my plan to use Adolf Lucifer Dahmer Bundy Hitler as my pseudonym.
Another devil's advocate ... In the past and even present people choose pen names for various reasons, J.K. Rowling was told boys/men would not read her book if she went with Joanne. Was she supposed to say "eh screw it, if they don't like that I'm female then I don't want them reading my book anyway"?What I'm saying is rather than this being a cultural issue, we as authors don't know our readers and they don't know us, they know our work, which is fiction anyway. Don't think non-fiction authors typically use pseudonyms. We do enough to entice readers (blurbs, author photos, book covers, marketing, is any of that really personal? So why take the fact that someone, for whatever reason, is turned off by your name personally? Why even worry about whether that is another obstacle?
Also, a reader could still decide they don't want to read your work becuase they don't like your picture, again for whatever reason.
Ellison wrote: "Another devil's advocate ... In the past and even present people choose pen names for various reasons, J.K. Rowling was told boys/men would not read her book if she went with Joanne. Was she suppos..."I thought about this when I was writing. I considered using a feminine name for the same reason.
Ellison wrote: "Another devil's advocate ... In the past and even present people choose pen names for various reasons, J.K. Rowling was told boys/men would not read her book if she went with Joanne. Was she suppos..."Yes, some of us *do* take it personally and yes, if someone is going to be turned off of my writing because of my name or some other insignificant detail that has nothing to do with the actual quality of my work, I don't want them reading my book anyway.
Its totally up to you and your decision. I would say that if you do use a pen name I'd suggest just using your name a bit like, A.A Sheik has a good ring to it. Just a thought.
Who on earth gave you that advice? That only reflects their bigotry, surely. The only reasons for using a pen name are:
a) You want to hide your true identity behind a persona - e.g. the vicar's wife writing erotica
b) Your name is already taken
c) You've never liked your name and see this as the perfect opportunity
Somebody who wouldn't market or read you because of your name isn't worth bothering with, IMO.
a memorable name is always a good idea to break into the public arena
Engelbert Humperdinck was a stage name.Changing your name to be common or more American does not cause success or combat ignorance. Hone your talents, and market them under the name of your choice.
I appreciate the outpouring of support in my name needing no change. It really helps.
Mod
Hear hear!
Charles wrote: "Al-Sheikh is a pretty damn cool name."So is Ahmed.
i only go by kp because my last name is already long enough -_- i had a pseudonym (kimiko meriueza) but folks couldn't spell it lolz. keep your name or go by initials. im currently reading an epic fantasy by an Arabian author and its cool. cant recall the name right now lolz
dont let stupid bigots hold you back ahmed!
Kat wrote: "Charles wrote: "Al-Sheikh is a pretty damn cool name."So is Ahmed."
It definitely sounds better than Charles Al-Sheikh.
I am admittedly envious of your "to read" list, which I just joined btw. I don't think those 19 pages of people care an ounce what your name is. It would seem your imagination speaks for you. Don't lose your following by starting over. The only reason I would suggest a pen name at this point is if you're switching to another genre.
What do you guys think?