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Female Writers Won't Appeal To The Masses!  


J.K. Rowling does not need any introduction. All book lovers, young or old, must have certainly read the fabulous fantasy novel Harry Potter and must have heard about this famous author too. I am an avid Harry Potter fan and I am sure none of you can decline that you are not!

Now, until and unless you have searched the internet or read about her in the newspaper, you surely would not have known that she is a lady! J.K stands for Joanne Kathleen Rowling. And now, some curious minds like me would have always wondered why her name appears printed as J.K Rowling instead of her full name on all her huge books.

And the surprising reason is that the publishers of Harry Potter initially feared that the famous boy wizard and his life story would go down the drain if people came to know that the writer was actually female. Can you believe it? They thought that female writers would never appeal to the public and so published that author's name as J.K Rowling. But surely they learnt that this was not the case.

How much your book sells or how famous it becomes, depends on your talent and writing ability. And now, I am certain that the publishers have understood this as her books have topped all charts!

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23 comments

  1. Ashish Soni  

    nice blog

  2. Meghna  

    Hi Ali,
    Thanks :P

  3. Unknown  

    Gosh-- apparently they hadn't heard of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, the Brontes, Jane Austen and a ton of other literary (and not so literary) ladies.

  4. Anonymous  

    I think a lot of that belief that female names on book jackets are a problem is just a legacy issue.

    I work for a publisher and the head of our books department once mentioned that the idea of using initials to mask the authors gender come from female authors we publish (on their first book). He has to reassure them that using their full name will not be a problem.

    As an aside, we publish technical and science books mainly and if the glass ceiling is a non-issue there it should soon be gone everywhere.

  5. Anonymous  

    Female writers won't appeal to the masses? Surely not.

    As miss Jenn Thorson points out above, there are the Classic writers Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, and Jane Austen.

    From the last century, we have Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath whose works are considered modern classics. Then we have Doris Lessing and Toni Morrison who are both Nobel laureates.

    Also, there's Isabel Allende, one of my favorites Ursula LeGuin, and obviously many more.

    So female writers won't appeal to the masses? Surely not. But that bit on the unfounded fears of Rowling's publishers surely is informative.

    Karlo

  6. Meghna  

    Hi Jenn,
    I agree, they mus have let the names of these great ladies slip out of their minds and thus thought so!

  7. Ire  

    Hi nice blog!

    Its really sad, this still happens!

  8. Meghna  

    Hi Techfun,
    I'm glad tor read your comment and learn more from a professional publisher. Ah! Then it is the misconception of some authors themselves, eh? I believe this comes due to lack of confidence in oneself! I hope they do not repeat this again and try to stick to their names!
    Thanks for the information and best wishes :D

  9. Meghna  

    Hi Karlo,
    There have been many establishes female writers so, I agree it was a misconception or superstition of the publishers! I'm glad you liked this post.
    Thank a lot!

  10. Meghna  

    H cynic,
    Thanks :D I thought so too ad brought this post before you!

  11. Sahefa  

    Hii
    She is really a great writer:-D

  12. Meghna  

    Hi Sahefa,
    I have to agree with this! She is awesome, I'd say :p

  13. broca's area  

    yeah talent is enough but in this world it also depends on marketing and they did just that!!:)..

  14. Meghna  

    Hi Pratap,
    Maybe you are correct. This must have been done for the purpose of marketing but talent outshines that, don't you think?

  15. --xh--  

    you always post something intresting and new.. keep up the wrk, l'll sis.

  16. Meghna  

    Hi Anoop.
    I'm glad you liked reading it! I'll keep writing and you keep reading :D

  17. Meghana  

    Hmmm it always sparks off curiosity if the author's initials are printed on the cover but its only when you are giving it a cursory glance...I am sure both men and women authors stand on the same pedestal when it comes to reader's choices ...

    Atleast it is that way with me :)

  18. Meghna  

    Hi Meghana,
    Yes, you are correct and so is your way. I hope it's the same with all readers as it is only then that the talent will be recognized! :D

  19. Anonymous  

    You cant blame the publishers. There are many skeptical readers who think twice before picking a female author. I dont know why people are prejudiced against female writers, but it is a general trend I have observed. Sad!

  20. Anonymous  

    SE Hinton was the same way.I have to admit had I known she was a female at first I wouldn't have read the book. I just wouldn't have thought she could write the perspective of a teenage boy as well as she did.

  21. Anonymous  

    Although the female writers listed in the previous comments are fine and successful writers, I don't know that they appeal to the masses. Most books with a wide readership are penned by men or under men's names.

  22. Meghna  

    anonymous: Oh, that was something new about Hinton. Thanks.

  23. Meghna  

    @james - I agree with you that famous books are either by men or by men's names. That itself prove that masses do not accept female writers. Thank you for dropping by and commenting.

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