Ageism, Sexism, and Judgment It’s all in a Name
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Jocie McKade
Truly one of the oldest questions (pun intended) is ‘What’s in a name?’ If even Shakespeare had issues with names, what hope do the rest of us have? With the electronic world exploding into all our lives, reading, readers, and readership have changed drastically, but it is too often the author’s name that sells or doesn’t sell the book.
It can be argued that it is the cover, the story, or the editing that determines readership. If, however, a new, emerging writer is trying to attract readers or a publisher, one of the interesting facets of selecting the book is often the author’s name.
Being a librarian, bookseller, and an author for several years has given me quite an interesting view into readers’ minds. One thing I often overhear are quick judgements about a book based solely on the author’s name, particularly women’s names. You might think that doesn’t happen or shouldn’t have an impact on the worthiness of the book, but it does more often than you might think.
For example, if you’re an author named after a grandparent and the world knows you as Ruth, Betty, Walter, or Theodore, readers assume you are an old Boomer, and your books aren’t relevant in today’s world. Ruth and Betty passed their best writing days decades ago, and if they write romance, then it is assumed to be of the geriatric variety. As Miley Cyrus once famously said, “Anyone over the age of forty isn’t having sex.” It could be assumed she said this for media time, or like many people her age, she actually believes this, but either way, when attracting readers, a name does make a difference, especially in specific genre’s. Whether the author is twenty-five or sixty-five, if the reader thinks the author is ‘old’, then their writing is often simply overlooked.
These assumptions aren’t just confined to a younger reading group. Book buyers in the Boomer age group also put the book back on the shelf. When I asked about their decision, the most commonly cited answer was that they ‘could tell by the author’s name the book was going to be like one of those an English teacher required you to read.’ This assumption was made without ever opening the book.
The exception to this is if you write non-fiction, where having an ‘older’ name can actually be to your advantage. Ruth, Walter and Richard give the reader the impression that you have experience and wisdom in your chosen non-fiction topic. Older names for non-fiction writers quantifies to the reader that you are an expert.
Names are cyclical. Each decade of new parents has a tendency to name their children after current celebrities or popular songs. In the 1950s, James, Michael, Robert and Patty, Tammy, and Mary were popular. In the 1960s, we had Linda, Debbie, Pam, Jeff, Ronny, Donald, and the 1970s gave the world a plethora of Jennifer, Melissa, Chris, Jason, and Brian. As social media exploded and celebrities and “influencers” became more popular, so did their names.
In a decade or two, many middle-aged women will be a “Taylor”.
Names that were popular in specific decades will date the author telling the reader you are either current or too old to be worthy of a read.
Ageism in names doesn’t hit men as hard as women. Men’s names remain relatively safe from age assumptions. Michael, John, James, or Christopher seem ageless, and readers don’t make judgements regarding age with male names.
If you are a woman author and write in fiction categories such as romance, fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, or young adult, having a ‘dated’ name isn’t always reader-friendly, and sexism becomes as much of a factor as ageism.
Women authors in the thriller or science fiction genre have found using men’s names or initials is often necessary to even be considered for publication or growing their readership.
I’m certain many readers have noticed within the fantasy genre which historically has been predominantly written by male authors, several best-selling authors chose to use only their initials. Many women authors in the thriller, true crime, and hard-boiled mysteries genres use masculine names. While it is now well-known that many of these authors are women, in the beginnings of their careers using masculine pseudonyms, or generic initials helped give them a first read, and generated sales.
If your are an older author, or a younger one carrying a family heirloom name, or your are a woman writing in a field seen as one ‘that can’t be well-written’ by a woman, it might be worth considering using a pseudonym, or initials.
Unfortunately ‘what’s in a name’ is still an issue in the 21st century, especially for women authors.
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