If you want to appeal to a wider audience and market, please refrain from giving your characters ghetto-fabulous names like La Shonda or Deshawn. Seriously, stop it.
Not that I’m crazy about the names, but I actually don’t think that would work. The “wider” (i.e. white) audience isn’t interested in AA romances. They won’t read them no matter what the names. I assume AA romance authors know this, so they stick to what appeals to their readers.
The last time I made a comment like yours on naming, I got smacked verbally. I was told more or less that ethnic names were things that the minority owned and should not have to give up in order to fit into mainstream (white) expectations, and to stop waving my privilege and expectations around. I wasn’t even talking about AA rom, but about a UF-romance in which an accent had been used to “dress up” a plain name, which I thought was ridiculous and pretentious.
I’m nit sure what wider audience you’re talking abount as Romancelandia has made their lack of interest clear. Frequently on this very blog. Further, I’ve never read a romance with those type names as most leads in AA romance are middle class. Are you sure you’re not talking about urban lit? Where are these books full of “ghetto speak”? Could we have some exanples?
Also, how far does this naming ban go? The fact is, if you have a AA character of a certain age/background there’s a strong likelihood that they’ll have a name of that nature. Most of my characters are middle class so its not an issue, but even amongst upper-class blacks non-standard names are more common, hence you have former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. She’s from a decidedly middle-class background, yet someone from the projects with that name would be called ghetto. Same with Oprah, definitely of working class origins. Presumably if a white person chooses to read a book with black characters they are looking for black characters, not chocolate dipped white people. After all books with white people abound. For the most part blacks and whites do live similar lives in this country, however this is one way in which we differ. Why would we change that for the comfort level of a tiny percentage of our readership?
Why is everything always about whitey with you lot? How about wider as in non AA blacks? You do realise that there is a whole world of black folks out there who are not American? I think we outnumber y’all by quite a bit. If you want our money you might want to consider us when you’re writing. If you want to restrict your audience to only AA folks then feel free to ignore me.
I’m not ignoring non AA readers. I’ve got at least one book with a black woman from North Africa, but my books that are set in the States will, of course have AA characters. The books that are set in other countries will feature heroines that are native to those countries. Unfortunately, my North African book didn’t sell well. Some readers didn’t like a Muslim heroine, so I’ll probably not do another one.
Oh no, Mrs Roz, I certainly enjoyed Pussycat Death Squad!. What irks me is people complaining, but, when given what they alluded to wanting, no one buys.
A black woman from North Africa? Really? Wow, I’m so grateful for your looking outside your borders and writing accurate portrayals of black women in the world.
Las
February 6
1:41 pm
Not that I’m crazy about the names, but I actually don’t think that would work. The “wider” (i.e. white) audience isn’t interested in AA romances. They won’t read them no matter what the names. I assume AA romance authors know this, so they stick to what appeals to their readers.
jmc
February 6
1:56 pm
The last time I made a comment like yours on naming, I got smacked verbally. I was told more or less that ethnic names were things that the minority owned and should not have to give up in order to fit into mainstream (white) expectations, and to stop waving my privilege and expectations around. I wasn’t even talking about AA rom, but about a UF-romance in which an accent had been used to “dress up” a plain name, which I thought was ridiculous and pretentious.
e_bookpushers
February 7
12:52 am
I happen to agree with you Karen. I fit the “target demographic” and I don’t enjoy the extreme ghetto speak.
Roslyn Holcomb
February 7
4:08 pm
I’m nit sure what wider audience you’re talking abount as Romancelandia has made their lack of interest clear. Frequently on this very blog. Further, I’ve never read a romance with those type names as most leads in AA romance are middle class. Are you sure you’re not talking about urban lit? Where are these books full of “ghetto speak”? Could we have some exanples?
Roslyn Holcomb
February 7
4:23 pm
Also, how far does this naming ban go? The fact is, if you have a AA character of a certain age/background there’s a strong likelihood that they’ll have a name of that nature. Most of my characters are middle class so its not an issue, but even amongst upper-class blacks non-standard names are more common, hence you have former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. She’s from a decidedly middle-class background, yet someone from the projects with that name would be called ghetto. Same with Oprah, definitely of working class origins. Presumably if a white person chooses to read a book with black characters they are looking for black characters, not chocolate dipped white people. After all books with white people abound. For the most part blacks and whites do live similar lives in this country, however this is one way in which we differ. Why would we change that for the comfort level of a tiny percentage of our readership?
Jill Sorenson
February 7
7:14 pm
Well said, Roslyn.
black (non AA) reader
February 7
10:24 pm
Why is everything always about whitey with you lot? How about wider as in non AA blacks? You do realise that there is a whole world of black folks out there who are not American? I think we outnumber y’all by quite a bit. If you want our money you might want to consider us when you’re writing. If you want to restrict your audience to only AA folks then feel free to ignore me.
Roslyn Holcomb
February 7
11:39 pm
I’m not ignoring non AA readers. I’ve got at least one book with a black woman from North Africa, but my books that are set in the States will, of course have AA characters. The books that are set in other countries will feature heroines that are native to those countries. Unfortunately, my North African book didn’t sell well. Some readers didn’t like a Muslim heroine, so I’ll probably not do another one.
foosrock!
February 12
10:13 am
Oh no, Mrs Roz, I certainly enjoyed Pussycat Death Squad!. What irks me is people complaining, but, when given what they alluded to wanting, no one buys.
black (non AA) reader
February 12
3:13 pm
A black woman from North Africa? Really? Wow, I’m so grateful for your looking outside your borders and writing accurate portrayals of black women in the world.