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Hmmm - This is hard for me, because if the book caught my eye I wouldn't care the gender of the author.
Here's my best guess.
Use initials or the gender-neutral pen name.
Go with what you are comfortable with as far as stating that it is a pen name. Lots of authors use pen names because they don't want people to know their real names, and they never mention they are using pen names. That wouldn't bother me.
Do NOT try and pretend you are a woman. That would bother me if I found out an author had lied about that. I mean, if you choose a woman's name as a pen name, and then your bio says "he" - people are going to figure out it is a pen name. I think most people will understand why you did it (although a few readers might not like it.) If you just somehow manage to write your bio without any gender info, that wouldn't bother me UNLESS you chose a pen name obviously designed to mislead.
I hope the above makes sense? In other words, if you just side-step the issue, and I find out your a man, I'm okay with that. If I feel like you've tried to trick me into thinking you are a woman, I feel a little betrayed. I know it is silly. But there you are.
Here's my best guess.
Use initials or the gender-neutral pen name.
Go with what you are comfortable with as far as stating that it is a pen name. Lots of authors use pen names because they don't want people to know their real names, and they never mention they are using pen names. That wouldn't bother me.
Do NOT try and pretend you are a woman. That would bother me if I found out an author had lied about that. I mean, if you choose a woman's name as a pen name, and then your bio says "he" - people are going to figure out it is a pen name. I think most people will understand why you did it (although a few readers might not like it.) If you just somehow manage to write your bio without any gender info, that wouldn't bother me UNLESS you chose a pen name obviously designed to mislead.
I hope the above makes sense? In other words, if you just side-step the issue, and I find out your a man, I'm okay with that. If I feel like you've tried to trick me into thinking you are a woman, I feel a little betrayed. I know it is silly. But there you are.
