Authors Who Write Romance and the Stigma they Experience

source:Fotofolia

Romance authors do (not always) write under pen-names for a variety of reasons.

It's not a new trend. The use of pen-names by writers goes back to at least the 17th Century when they were used by a German poet,  and a French theater-writer.

Women writers have used male pseudonyms for centuries to hide their gender and/or place in society. Charlotte and Emily Bronte, the Bronte sisters and authors of classic books, "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights" are two famous examples.

But in this moment of history, there's a bit of a stigma attached to romance authors because of the genre's supposed literary inferiority.

The use of pen-names and acronyms is one way Romance Authors try to ward off the effects of the stigma on their private lives, family and day jobs.

Over at The New York Times, Women in the World website, they've posted an article about two researchers who explored the stigma experienced by readers and writers of romance novels and how they deal with it.

Here's the link;
http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/07/20/a-peek-at-the-authors-who-write-romance-novels-and-the-stigmas-they-experience/

Gotta go,
and read some romance books!
Ashlyn