Haruki Murakami is very popular (I've read two of his books and loved them), is Japanese, living in Japan, writes in Japanese.  Though the locale of the two stories I've read (The Windup Bird, 1?84 is Japan, Mongolia, and Siberia, the thrust of the stories is not about that even though there are historical references.

Dwight Okita on this site is Japanese American and lives in Chicago where we have had the pleasure of meeting him.  He uses his real name for his published work.

Hope this helps a bit.

1) Will writing under an "American" last name make my writing more marketable?

no. I don't think I've ever read a book just because of an author's name. half the time, I don't even look at who wrote it until I finished it. just remember black, white, yellow, brown, no matter what color your skin is, it won't be as important as the color green. if your book makes money, if you're successful, you willl get the respect you deserve regardless of your skin color.

2) Has anyone ever read a work of fiction by an Asian author who didn't write about an "Asian/Asian-American" topic?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_As … an_writers
So what if all of those writers wrote about "Asian/Asian-American topics"? don't think of this as a problem. think of this as an opportunity to be the gamechanger. Maybe you're the one who breaks the mold.

3) On principal, is it wrong to write under an a different name for such a sad/stupid reason?

Yes! it's wrong! doing something like this lacks integrity. from reading your works, I think you have a lot of creative talent. you definitely bring something new to the table, and it has nothing to do with your race. don't spoil your works by pretending to be someone you're not. the world deserves to know that Linkun Chen wrote these stories.

4) If I should write under a different pen name, what name should I write under? My name is Linkun Chen, but it's pronounced Lincoln. So I was thinking maybe Lincoln Chapman, Lincoln Chase, etc. Something like that.

I'm not even going to answer this question.

I've been at this site for a while now. I don't review much, I just like to read. I've read most of your stuff. I like it because it's different. the fact that you're an asian-american is completely overshadowed by your creativity. The only part that I agree with you on is that I don't think an american audience is ready for an asian male main character who doesn't fit a stereotypically-asian role, especially with all that stuff with the hunger games recently. I personally wouldn't care. but I can't change the world. just like the hunger games, you don't have to necessarily say that your character is asian or black. In the book, characters are just described as dark skinned. just go with something like that.

Pen name- might for now, build your self-confidence and self-identity, allowing you to leave associations of real name behind. Write a short story or poem about a new name for yourself and you might find it changes your perspective.

Linkun Chen does evoke, in me, a writer of Charlie Chan like mysteries. The real writer of those mysteries (whose name I've forgotten) was a very heroic and well-respected man in Hawaii. I think he may have even been Sheriff of Honolulu.

You might try, Linkun Abraham, Linkun Lincoln, Linkun Americo, Linkun Upps, Linkun Chain, Linkun Words, Linkun Rhodes, etc. Hey, this is kind of fun. Perhaps finding you a new pen name could be a contest?

I'd stay away from Linkun Cheney or Linkun Santorium.

I'm considering changing to the pen name: A. Arthur Aardvarkinski so I'm always listed first on book lists (or filed with the ant eaters).

In the long run, it's what's inside a book that really counts.

Last edited by maxkeanu (04-01-2012 11:07:15)

Linkun--what matters is the writing. Who or where you came from doesn't matter if the writing is excellent. So you can be Jane Doe or Juan Epstein. Just make sure your writing is the best.

Personally, i really like your name.  I pick up a book because of it's cover (unless it's an author I already read), then read the cover blurb, never read pages inside  and never put a book down because of an author name.

Hi Linkun, Dwight Okita here.  I don't think names matter all that much for readers.  Though Lincoln Chen might be simpler than Linkun Chen just because it's a bit more common.  Up to you.

Yeah, I'm Japanese American and was born in Chicago.  I've never been to Japan though would like to go some day.  I also don't feel like I need to write in the vein of Amy Tan, etc.  When I wrote poems and plays, some of them dealt with the internment camps because my parents were in them.  But ultimately I like to write about things closer to home.  Or trippy, speculative stuff.  My published novel PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL is about a human embryo that's allowed to preview the world before deciding whether to be born.  My new book in progress THE HOPE STORE is about the first store in the world to sell hope over the counter (the first three chapters are posted on the site here if you want to check them out).  Often the protagonists are asian american, though rarely is that the subject for me.  Not yet anyway.  The current short story I've posted here is "The East Side Nurse Killer" which is inspired by my experience growing up near the Richard Speck murders in the 1960s.

Good luck.  Have you posted chapters here on the site?

Vern, the question is not about pen names in general. It's about whether it's sad/stupid to assume a pen name because you don't want to alienate readers who refuse to read anything other than what's written by a white male. I maintain that it is.

Of course there are legitimate reasons to assume pen names. The Brontes wrote under male pseudonyms so they could be published and taken seriously by a broader readership. Different times. Sylvia Plath published The Bell Jar under Victoria Lucas because of the damning autobiographical information contained in the novel (though it was widely known at the time that Plath was the real author. Fail. But she tried).

I still think being of a different race or ethnicity is a selling point nowadays. Entire lit journals have been created to showcase the works of such authors.

Vern, what I'm saying is that "pistolblue" was specifically responding to whether using a pen name for that reason lacks integrity. I re-read their post and nowhere does it say that using a pen name in and of itself lacks integrity. That's what I was trying to point out.

Hi there Mr. Chen!

You know what, we people are judging others in our own points of view. Most of the time, if we saw something better from our fellows, we also wish to have it! And sometimes, what we hate about ourselves is what others wish to have for themselves! yeah, um.. stuffs like that!

So love yourself and your name, it's yours and your identity! You should be proud of yourself! Your works are your own signatures!
Just continue to contribute best stories! Do you best!