What's in a Name?

I'm rather well-known in the world of design blogs by the name I use on this site (which is my real, given name). Search for "Cameron Chapman" on nearly any search engine and I'm the primary result. And that's good. I've done a lot to get this name out there, in the design world, and am glad that I'm recognized (by Google at least) as "the" Cameron Chapman. The one non-fiction book I self-published (Internet Famous) is published under that name, further reinforcing me as an author of internet and design-related books and articles. I've been included in a handful of design and internet marketing ebooks under that name, too. Any subsequent books I publish (either myself or with a traditional publisher) in the world of design or the internet will be published under that name, too.

But now I'm starting to run into some problems.

See, I don't just write non-fiction, and I don't just write about design and the internet. I'm trying to branch out a bit, because I feel like it's important as a writer who wants some longevity, career-wise, to have at least a little variation in what they can and do write about. What would happen if tomorrow someone invented an "easy button" (to borrow Staples' terminology) for web design? If all you had to do to get a beautiful, professional-looking website was push a button, I'd be out of business. I don't see that happening any time soon, but a girl's gotta have options. Just in case.

And I write fiction, though none of it is published yet (self or otherwise). I have a handful of novellas I plan to self-publish (as ebooks) this year, and maybe a novel or two, as well. It's a conscious decision I've made, based on my own goals and aspirations in this business, and based on my own interests. Unlike a lot of writers, I like the marketing and business side of writing, almost as much as I like the writing itself sometimes. That doesn't mean I'd turn down a mainstream publishing contract for one of my novels (I probably wouldn't), but it does mean I'm not hung up on it. And I'd honestly rather spend my time marketing my fiction writing to readers rather than agents or publishers.

That brings me to my primary question: what name do I use for my non-design, non-internet work? And what name do I use for my fiction work? Should I continue to use Cameron Chapman for these things? Is that going to muddy up the "brand" I've created for myself in the design and internet worlds?

This would be so much easier if I wrote sci-fi or techno-thrillers, or even mainstream commercial fiction. In any of those cases, I'd definitely keep using Cameron Chapman, because there'd likely be some cross-over readership from the design and tech worlds to my fiction writing. Name recognition might help sell some books.

But I write fantasy, women's fiction, love stories, and a bit of soft sci-fi. All of my books are primarily aimed at women. And while there are female designers out there, it's an overwhelmingly male-dominated field, and I'm afraid there isn't going to be a huge cross-over readership (though I've had a few of my male "fans" and colleagues say they'd buy my books for their girlfriend/sister/wife/mother/etc.).

The issue I see, too, is that if someone isn't interested in my design writing, and they Google my name looking for my novels or novellas, they're not going to be able to find them. They might wonder if I'm the same person. They might think they've gotten the name wrong and give up looking. My name shows up on some very highly-ranked sites (Mashable, Smashing Magazine, etc.) and it's unlikely my fiction work will be able to compete in the search engines any time soon. Sure, this website generally shows up at the top of the search results when someone searches, but there's still a lot of room for confusion.

Except I want to be recognized under my real name for all of my accomplishments. I don't really like the idea of using a pen name. I just don't want to have it work against me if I don't. A lot of famous authors use pen names when they write in more than one genre (Stephen King/Richard Bachman, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, etc.). So there's obviously some advantage to doing so, or they wouldn't bother.

The way I see it, I have a couple of options:

I can keep writing everything under Cameron Chapman, and just hope that people can figure out that yes, I'm the same person doing a bunch of different stuff, and find what they're looking for regardless. If I go this route, I'll probably redesign this site and add more of a landing page with information about my various projects to help clarify things.

I can use my initials for my fiction writing: C.J. Chapman. I'm not wholly opposed to this. Except then it presents the problem of whether or not to keep using this domain as my primary website for everything, or if I should create a clear divide between Cameron Chapman and C.J. Chapman. Which would mean an extra website to keep updated and maintained. I'd probably have to do the same thing for Twitter and Facebook, too.

I can make something up entirely for my fictional works. If I went this route, I'd probably take it one step further and use a different pen name for each genre that I write in. I really don't like this idea, though. I have enough different (character) voices and personalities in my head as it is, and this would just add to the confusion. And then I'd have to set up Twitter and Facebook accounts for each of these personalities, and I see the whole thing turning into one giant logistical nightmare.

I can see pros and cons to each of these options. I'm going to have to make a decision soon, as I plan to start putting novellas out this spring, and the last thing I want to do is change my name after I've done that.

If you're an author who's gone through or is considering the same thing, I'd love your take on this. I'd love the opinion of any agents or publishers out there, too. Leave a comment if you have any input for me!