Hello!
This question has been bugging me for a while... I live in Portugal, and I have decided to try my luck in the English/American publishing business. But I've heard it said several times that agents and publishers may not welcome a "foreign name."
What is your experience with this? Do you think foreign writers should get an English pseudonym, or just use their own name?
I prefer the second option, but I would welcome some other opinions
Thanks!
Foreign Writers
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- Nathan Bransford
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Re: Foreign Writers
If you'd prefer to use your own name use your own name. I don't think there's any such thing as an American name.Darth Storm wrote:Hello!
This question has been bugging me for a while... I live in Portugal, and I have decided to try my luck in the English/American publishing business. But I've heard it said several times that agents and publishers may not welcome a "foreign name."
What is your experience with this? Do you think foreign writers should get an English pseudonym, or just use their own name?
I prefer the second option, but I would welcome some other opinions
Thanks!
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Re: Foreign Writers
Speaking as a reader, not an agent or publisher, I think the main question would be whether your name appears to be pronounceable by your target audience. Secondarily, if you're prepared to accept mispronunciations — in particular, most Americans are mono-lingual and aren't too good at pronouncing names from countries with other phonetic systems. For a few authors, there's also the question of whether their names mean (or sound like) something unpleasant in English (or whatever the audience's language is).
- Nathan Bransford
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- Joined: December 4th, 2009, 11:17 pm
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Re: Foreign Writers
True, though there are about 10 people in the US that can pronounce (American) Chuck Palahniuk's name and that hasn't stopped him one bit.Doug Pardee wrote:Speaking as a reader, not an agent or publisher, I think the main question would be whether your name appears to be pronounceable by your target audience. Secondarily, if you're prepared to accept mispronunciations — in particular, most Americans are mono-lingual and aren't too good at pronouncing names from countries with other phonetic systems. For a few authors, there's also the question of whether their names mean (or sound like) something unpleasant in English (or whatever the audience's language is).
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Re: Foreign Writers
I do prefer using my own name. It is not even that "foreign", and you can even find my surname in America and England (although it's very rare).
I found it very strange when I heard people say to be careful, because "there be dragons out there". I had never heard anything discouraging coming from the English/American publishing industry, and the first time I did was from the Portuguese one. But oh well, I have given up on Portuguese publishers for a reason, so...
Thank you for both your opinions!
I found it very strange when I heard people say to be careful, because "there be dragons out there". I had never heard anything discouraging coming from the English/American publishing industry, and the first time I did was from the Portuguese one. But oh well, I have given up on Portuguese publishers for a reason, so...
Thank you for both your opinions!
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