I stumbled across the Dummies site the other day. I’m not making fun of anyone. I’m actually referring to those books like, Carpentry for Dummies, Accounting for Dummies and that sort of thing. The page I read through talked about the Writing A Romance Novel For Dummies book by Leslie Wainger of Harlequin. The excerpt dealt with writing the romance heroine.
There’s a lot of information in there dealing with how to pick the heroine’s name. Wainger says:
Unisex names are trendy now. But if you name your heroine Jamie or Sam (short for Samantha), be aware of one challenge in her future: back-cover copy. For a reader, flipping a book over and reading about the perfect romance between Jamie and Jake or Sam and Rafe can be a little jarring. Unisex names are less of a problem in the books themselves, but know that you’re creating a challenge on the marketing end.
I had to laugh at this because more than once I’ve read a heroine’s name in the first chapter and thought I was reading the hero’s name and got all confused. I then had to flip to the back cover and figure out if “Skip” was a man or a woman. Which is one of Wainger’s points. She says bad names or wrong names or even confusing names can pull a reader out of the story.
Do you agree? Does the name of the heroine impact you at all? In other words, when you read an Amanda Quick book and see a heroine named Igphinia, does it stop you at all? See, I never really thought about this until my editor asked for information on a novella I was writing for the 2008 holiday anthology, TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT, so the good folks at Kensington could write the back cover copy. It turned out Jill Shalvis, Donna Kauffman and I all planned to write novellas with heroines named Emma. What are the chances of that? Needless to say, two of us had to rename our heroines. But, the experience - in addition to making me laugh - did make me think about what goes into a heroine’s name.
What are your thoughts? Let me know and you could win a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate. I’ll pick a winner at random from those commenting.
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Yeah, I think the heroine’s name (AND the hero) are important. If it’s a name I can’t pronounce, I’ll just call them by the first letter of the name. And then again, I don’t think I want to read about a character named Fagina or any other name that would make me want to choke on my cheerio’s while reading…..
by Sharmi
on November 27th, 2007 at 7:12 am
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Well, I’ve never read an Amanda Quick but if I did and the name was something weird like that I would probably think it’s well, weird (lol) and be wary of the book.
I love the name Emma! If I ever have a girl, that’s one of the names I’m thinking of probably using. 
I agree with Sharmi - the name of both main characters in a book are very important. Fagina?? that makes me think vagina! lol! Oh no.
by Wendy
on November 27th, 2007 at 7:36 am
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I think names are important for the hero/heroine in a story. I don’t mind a name like ‘Sam’, or whatever, if it is made clear right at the beginning of the story that her name is ‘Samantha’, but everyone calls her ‘Sam’ so I know the person is a ’she’. I don’t like to have to refer to some place else to find out which gender the character is. It takes my attention away from the story line. I am not really fond of some of the unique names in stories that I can neither pronounce or know if it belongs to a male or female. It gets too confusing, unless like before the author makes it clear at the very beginning of the story so as I read there is no doubt as to a name being male or female…but, please, don’t use too many unusual names in one book or it becomes overwhelming to keep track of the various characters.
by Shari C
on November 27th, 2007 at 8:11 am
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I think names are important for the simple fact that you associate a name with a person. If the herione’s name is something silly you don’t take her serious i.e. Fagina. Same goes for the hero. If his name is “Fred” I don’t picture a sexy fireman, I think overweight caveman. LOL
by Patty L.
on November 27th, 2007 at 8:27 am
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I find that if the heroine or hero has a name that is hard to pronounce that I stumble over the name when I am reading and the book doesn’t flow well for me. Also, if the hero has a weak or antiquated name, I can’t picture him as an alpha hero.
by Crystal B.
on November 27th, 2007 at 8:33 am
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I recently read a novella with a heroine named Denny. It was a great book, but I couldn’t get past the fact that I hated the heroine’s name so much. I don’t want to be yanked out of the story either A) hating the heroine’s guy name, or B) trying to pronounce it in my head. Great article!
by Elle
on November 27th, 2007 at 10:20 am
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Definitely names have an impact on a reader. I don’t mind unusual names, but if they are hard to pronounce, that can make it difficult to identify with the character. I also would love to see more of a variety. For someone like me who reads as many books as I do, it’s confusing when there’s yet another hero named Jack or Max or Jake or Sam. They become a bit too generic after awhile. Yes, they are simple, solid names that project a certain image (usually a cop or someone in the military) but I love different names that make the character stand out.
by Stacy ~
on November 27th, 2007 at 11:48 am
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The name of both main characters in a book are very important. I love the name Emma. It is my first name.
by Emma
on November 27th, 2007 at 11:54 am
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I hadn’t ever actually thought how a unisex name might look on back cover copy. Most of my heroines have “girly” names, so it wouldn’t be a problem. But I do have one named Tate which would usually be a guy, I’d think. Hmm. I wonder if she’d let me change her name…..?
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When the name could be either the h/h I check the back cover to see which is which. When the name is odd I usually mentally shorten it.
by Joyce
on November 27th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
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no it does not matter to me. what is in a name lol. it is the story that counts.
by kim h
on November 27th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
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I do get a bit confused if both names (hero and heroine) have unisex names. It happened recently with a story I loved except for the moments when I got mixed up. If at least the hero had a very clear “guy” name it would have helped…. I guess too what may be a unisex name to me may very clearly be a only guy or girl name to someone else! HelenKay, if you can say, did you have to change your heroine’s name from Emma? Was it hard to do because your character really seemed like an “Emma” to you?
On a related note, I love it when the character’s name becomes shortened / a “nickname” during the story - it adds a warmth/more personal touch to the story.
by allison
on November 27th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
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I found that names can pull me out of a story, even if I enjoy the story. I read a book recently that I loved, but the heros name was a name I knew from a television show. It was hard for me to get past the same name (first and last same). Once I did I loved the book.
So, names can be hard to get passed sometimes, but in the end if it is a good story I can get over the name.
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I agree with Patty. A writer has the ability to choose a name that would suit the character, so why not put some thought into it? I know that when I write a character, his or her name is chosen in order to reveal personality and character. And when reading, I can get hung up on something silly like a character’s name if it’s hard to pronounce or just plain weird.
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I tend to prefer “classic” names, especially for the heroes–I’m more OK with creative names for the heroines, as long as they make some sort of sense and are fairly easy to figure out pronunciation-wise. If I have to struggle with figuring the name out every time I see it, it’s going to annoy me and I’ll undoubtedly hate it (and possibly her/him, even if it’s illogical). Stephanie’s got it though–if the story’s awesome, it can likely overcome even the worst naming.
by Fedora
on November 27th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
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I think names are really important. I immediately get a picture in my head of the heroine from her name. Does it influence whether or not I’ll read the book? I don’t think so. Not if the story intrigues me. If it’s an unusual name, I may shorten it in my mind, give her my own nickname so to speak, so I’m not bogged down with it.
by Robin
on November 27th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
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It doesnt matter too much to me what the character’s name is. However I must be able to pronounce it and I dont care for strange names. So I guess it does matter, LOL.
I like simple names like Annie, Nick, Jack. For some reason I have been liking the name Bailey ( know it is not common) for a female - have read a few books lately where they have used that name. The name Daisy makes me feel a whimsical heroine - like in Kiss An Angel by SEP.
by Pat L
on November 27th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
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Well, when I’m reading the blurb I might think of a name as unusual, but it never pulls me from the story because there simply different names out there. But the ones I really like though are when you go for symbolic ones. . . obviously this is more for historicals, but when you have a title or last name that turns into a nice little nickname. I just can’t think of one to give as an example. Darn it. LOL But I imagine most of you probably know what I’m trying to say.
Lois
by Lois
on November 27th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
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No problem with unique names, as long as it isn’t a name that I have to figure out how to pronounce. Those tend to take me away from the flow of the story, which is just distracting. I tend to end up giving those character’s a nickname to get the show on the road.
by Cathy M
on November 27th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
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I don’t worry if I can’t pronounce the name. It is jarring not to know the sex of the person if it is a unisex name. I went to school with a Kyle (definitely female she was my roomie) but she got mail to Mr. Kyle etc. In fact what was hysterical is when she was given her room assignment freshmen year she was put on the male floor. So these unisex names can cause trouble in real life.
by Ann M.
on November 27th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
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I think the heroine’s name is very important. I don’t care for unisex names. Unusual names are okay as long as they are not too off the wall. I prefer names I can pronounce.
by Cherie J
on November 27th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
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I get a picture in my head of the heroine from her name. Does it influence whether or not I’ll read the book? No it does not. If it’s an unusual name, I may shorten it in my mind or just use a shortened version I make up.
I get into the characters of the book so any name is probably fine and I get to know and like the character or dislike but I know the character. I find a way around the hard to pronounce names some how.
by RobynL
on November 27th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
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Unisex names can be confusing, but I rather like them. Igphinia was a problem only because I couldn’t pronounce her name even though I knew her from Greek mythology. I want to be able to pronounce the characters’ names when I’m reading a book.
by Jane
on November 27th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
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I have occasionally been confused by a name but it is generally easy to figure out. I like unusual names because then I’ll remember them. I don’t like it when names are similar like the hero and his best friend are Jack and Jake.
by Maureen
on November 27th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
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Yes names of characters are important. And, like you, I’ve found myself confused in a couple of books wondering which one was the guy. Sometimes I get frustrated with a name if I can’t figure out how to pronounce it, that throws me out of the story every time it occurs. I laughed at Elle’s comment about the heroine named Denny, all I could picture was Denny Crane on Boston Legal - definitely not an image one wants in a romance! 
by Laidybyrd
on November 27th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
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Our rival high school football team came from Varina, VA. Okay, yes, that was also the first name of the First Lady of the Confederacy, Varina Davis. Lovely name. However, I could not help but snort & giggle my way through her biography because I remember what certain classmates did to the “Beat Varina!” posters up around the school. This was in the 70’s, so you can see it stuck.
I get yanked out of the flow if there is a name I can’t pronounce. It drives me nuts until I figure it out. Same with foreign words, especially Gaelic.
Of course firstborn’s name is Jordan—
by LA
on November 27th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
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I am glad I am not the only one who finds Amanda Quick’s heroines a bit weirdly named!
by Nathalie
on November 27th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
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Unusual names only work for me if there’s a reason for it explained in the story. As long as it’s a name I can pronounce, I’m happy.
by Sue A.
on November 27th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
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Names are important in my opinion. I don’t want similar sounding names for multiple characters. And the unisex names like from that article can really make a book hard to read at times. In fact I had that problem recently for a character named Ripley. I thought it was a she and it was a he. Anyhow, I like easier to pronounce names that kind of give me a clue to the gender of the person. It makes the story more clear and easier to follow. No backtracking to find out who the said person is.
by April
on November 27th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
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I think the heroines name is important I don’t mind if she is called Sam if it is made clear in the beginning her name is Samantha.
I don’t care for names of heroes or heroines I can’t pronounce.
by Estella
on November 27th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
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I am reading this book now that the heroine name is bothering me because I can’t figure out how to say it in my head. And nowadays you really have to check because it could be a heroine or another hero. Same sex romances are getting really popular so you never know. I know lots of people love them even though they are not to my taste.
by Pamk
on November 27th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
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The one thing that just drives me up a wall is when I can’t pronounce the name of the hero or heroine. I really try to just pick one way and stick with it but it just doesn’t work. It totally pulls me out of the story and that’s a shame since it’s such an easily fixed thing - either pick an easy name or what I would like is how to pronounce knowingly weird names in the beginning of the book.
by catslady
on November 27th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
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Names are definitely important. Unisex names are okay as long as it is clear from the beginning if it refers to a male or female. I agree with several of the others that hard to pronounce names are what really frustrate me. I keep trying to figure out how to pronounce it which slows down my reading and distrupts the flow. I have stopped reading books because they contain hard to pronounce names. I find it too distracting and therefore not enjoyable. Aren’t books meant to be enjoyed?
by Linda F
on November 27th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
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As a reader I like to have names I can pronounce or at least sound out easily. As a writer I need to have the perfect name before I can even start writing. I had to change my hero’s name the other day. Evidently there are too many writers at my publisher using the name “Gray”. It was difficult to choose a replacement because he’d formed in my mind. BTW, I love Emma for a name and have written one Emma and one Emily. Great topic!
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Just the other day I came across two names I thought was the hero. One of them was Carson, which is my brother’s name,lol. Easy mistake there, also never heard it used for a girl. I like unique names, but I like to be able to say them without thinking about the pronouncement the whole book. Emma is pretty popular, I’ve read a few books with that name.
by Dena
on November 28th, 2007 at 4:05 am
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I find that if I don’t like a character’s name, I change it to a shortened version or change it completely to something I can relate to. For example: Calista = Cally, or Ali as I relate it to Ally McBeal the old TV show, Fredricka =Freddie or Ricki, Igphinia= Iggy After only reading a little bit of the story you’ll know if it’s a girl’s or boy’s name. Some names grow on you, some you’ll never like… accept it!
I read a lot so I’ve come across many names that I haven’t really liked. However, it has never forced me to stop reading the book.
Other male/female names : Taylor, Chris, Mike (nickname for Mikayla). I never cared for Bailey m or f.
Lately several books have had Mia as the heroine …I like that name….also Leah.
It really depends on the genre…historicals can have Elizabeth, Constance, Emmaline, Caroline. Lily can go older or newer. I’m kind of tired of Jennifer and the older Susan, Debra and Mary.
You’re never going to please every one.
So I feel it’s more important that the writer be content with the name they choose to fit their character. I can live with it!!
by Laurie
on November 28th, 2007 at 4:57 am
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I think names are important and I like unique names. BUT…I don’t like names that I can’t pronounce. lol
by Christy H.
on November 28th, 2007 at 9:36 am
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As long as I know how to pronounce the name I’m happy. I have read books where I didn’t care for a name at the beginning but loved by the end.
by Susan
on November 28th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
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I dont like generic names. But I dont like names that are hard to pronounce. I dont like to wonder if it’s a boy or girl by the name either. But if there’s one unique name, that is my limit. I dont like everyone to have weird names because that takes away from the story.
by RachaelfromNJ
on November 29th, 2007 at 12:05 am
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As long as it is pronounceable, names dn’t bother me that much if they are unusal.
I did read this book one time where the hero had some off the wall name that I had no idea how to pronounce. I just thought of him as ‘Blah’ everytime i had to read his name. Now that was distracting!
BTW…I love Amanda Quick’s character’s names!
by Angie t
on November 29th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
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I like easy names that I can actually pronounce. I don’t like the weird names that are hard to say when reading a book. It puzzles me if it’s hard and I have to remember how to say it each time. I do like unique names also as long as I can pronounce it.
Hugssss
LindaH
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Well, WHITNEY, MY LOVE is one of my facourite, so is the heroine Douglas in A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR. And “interestingly unpronouceable name” are good for fantasy as long as they are shorten to a pronounceable nick name. What do you think about that?
by Teoh
on December 1st, 2007 at 3:20 am
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I don’t think names are all that important if the story is good and if you have an idea of how to pronounce or say the name.
Caitlin
by caitlin hoy
on December 1st, 2007 at 4:14 am
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Names are important and I hate skipping over them because I have no idea how to pronounce them! Love Emma, which is my new greatgranddaughter’s name.
by Karen B
on December 1st, 2007 at 9:01 am
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Just like in real life, I think the name of a person or character can definitely change our perception of their persona! I associate certain personality/character trait with a man or woman’s name. This is usually good vibes, not negative ones! Names also depend on the era that is being written about, the country, etc. Thanks,Cindi
by Cindi Hoppes
on December 1st, 2007 at 12:08 pm
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I like the words to flow easily and some of the names of the characters prevent that. I like them to be easy to read. Also, I get confused when 2 of the characters names are so much alike-say Jake and Jason I read those names in a book and it was confusing to try to remember who was the main character.
by JOYE
on December 1st, 2007 at 2:40 pm
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The name should reflect a facet of the character personality.
by Kassandra Luckeroth
on December 1st, 2007 at 10:18 pm
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Yes, the names in a book are very important. I hate to keep looking back to see who it is that I’m reading about. I have so little time to read that I want to be able to start and keep going. Names that I cannot read easily, that are hard to pronounce or hard to even think of how the pronunciation goes, slows down the reading process. Similar names are hard, as well, to keep track of. Thanks for asking for our opinion. 
by Tanya Jackson
on December 2nd, 2007 at 9:10 am
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UPDATE: We have a winner - congrats to Fedora!!!
Email me so I can get that Amazon gift certificate to you.
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wtg fedora
by ki m h
on December 6th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
