7 Comments

Alexis Muka does have a nice ring to it. That would be my vote.

Also, I think Amran is making some great points below. Stay on the grind my half-spic brethren. It'll happen eventually--likely when you least expect it.

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Think like a WoMan

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Butch on the streets, femme on the sheets (of printer paper)

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I once heard that a guy used a female penname and actually got accepted a lot more. So this is already a kind of outdated tactic. Time to get yourself an Asian female penname.

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hahah damnit, I'm already late. But an Asian female penname can be arranged if needed!

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Several thoughts:

1. Alexandra Muka has a nice ring.

2. A few years back I considered querying under a "White" male name to avoid a different type of bias, but ultimately I figured publishing had over-corrected the other direction. These things go in waves, so there will be an over-correction back to getting more "male" authors of all stripes. The best things you can do are to make sure you've written the strongest novel you can, and be stubborn enough to stay the course.

3. This may sound obvious, but have you targeted male agents? There aren't too many of them out there, but I will confirm I received four full requests from agents I cold called and three were men. Also, I don't think it's a coincidence my agent and acquiring editor are both men.

4. I just turned 44 and I'm considered a young male novelist. Publishing skews older for many reasons, so you've got plenty of runway left. Bonnie Garmus of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY fame didn't get published until she was in her sixties.

5. Apparently Sally Rooney's latest book features male characters, so it may be worth checking it out and contrasting it with your own work.

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Hahaha it does have a nice ring. I just did a bunch of rewrites (especially the first few chapters) to get to the point quicker which definitely could have been putting agents off. Gonna take this query show back on the road very soon!!

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