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Should an eleven year old publish under her own name? Opinions please.
It depends on whether she uses her real name on social media sites. If so, she might as well. However, if I were her parent I'd want her not to.
I don't really see why not. It isn't like she is writing something not age appropriate or will be giving out a lot of personal information when she publishes it. A name is just a name after all and I'm sure she would love to see her name published :)
Patti (Fluffy) wrote: "As the thread title says.Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this."
I am not entirely sure but I think if you go the self publishing route on Amazon that you have to add the name of an adult. I think I remember seeing a conversation about a father having to use his and his daughters name because she was underage.
Othe than that I would use the child's name perhaps but would keep them away from the social media aspect.
Keeping in mind that you are 'supposed' to be a certain age on most of the social media sites anyway.
I would be wary of letting any child interact with adults when it comes to marketing online.
Publish under their name and let an adult do the rest perhaps. The child in question would also have to be prepared for any negative feedback.
If you go the trad pub route then there are people/adults who will take care of most of those things anyway.
As a parent I would be incredibly proud of my eleven yr old but I would be really hesitant to allow any child that age to step into the virtual cage of publishing with their real name.
My suggestion is to use her own last name, but initials instead of her first name (make up a second initial if needed). The downside to having a completely different pen name is that somehow the book doesn't feel "yours", so publishing it under a different name could feel like it's being taken away from her at the last minute.By using initials, there is at least some separation between "Jane Doe" and "JK Doe". Bear in mind, if her picture is on the cover, she will be identifiable anyway.
Also, if she's on Facebook (although I think the minimum age is 13, but that doesn't stop people), she should definitely have a separate public author page that can be kept separate from her personal page.
How will the other kids around her react. We know kids can be very cruel to each other. Not saying this will happen but it is something to think about. Wouldn't like her to be bullied by a jealous 'friend' who thinks she is getting more than shes due.Good luck to her anyway. A bright future is in front of her for sure.
Also what is the law stay in her country of residence/birth? Some jurisdictions have different rulesBut I'd be wary of allowing it,more because of the way her other 'friends' might react
I would say encourage not to use her real name, but obviously its her opinion at the end of the day. Firstly, as Pat said, bullying could be an issue. Also, she might decide in a few years that she doesn't want people knowing that she published a book, as it might give everyone expectations that she doesn't want them to have. Does that make sense? Also, later on she can also publish it as 'Jane Doe, under the pseudonym of Joe Blogs' or whatever, but she can't go the other way round if she uses her real name
I'm sure she'd love to see her name published though! It's a great achievement! (:
I appologise if none of that made sense. Not feeling too great, so brain isn't working properly
What sort of message do you think we're sending to the kids by telling them you can be really clever and successful at achieving something, but only if you pretend to be someone else? Seriously?If someone was to come along and say if you want to publish you have to pretend to be a boy, you'd all be up in arms. Why should this be different? "You can't do this because someone else *might* do that" is nanny statism of the worst kind, in my view.
By all means tell her the options, and if she wants to choose a pen name, let her. But don't nanny her achievement away from her, for God's sake.
I kind of agree with Tim on the issue of 'maybe she will get bullied'Patti's school kids sound a lot more mature than your average grubby school in the UK and I reckons she would regret it if she didn't. If the time comes when she wants to look at it badly, I think the best thing to do would be to change that attitude - because everyone does embarrassing things as kids, or not so smart things. It's a way of life.
Tim wrote: "What sort of message do you think we're sending to the kids by telling them you can be really clever and successful at achieving something, but only if you pretend to be someone else? Seriously?I..."
As long as the child in question can deal with the reality of being known as the author in connection with her/his book that is fine.
What if the child isn't though. You wouldn't send your child out into a lion enclosure or into the jungle without an adult.
Let's be honest instead of idealist here. No parent wants to teach their child to change to be accepted by others and they shouldn't. I don't think publishing under a pseudonym or using initials instead of a full real name is the same as asking your child to bow down to others.
It is about keeping them safe which is your job as a parent and an adult. They are called children and not 'little adults' for a reason.
Not if her parent is asking. If an eleven year old is smart enough to write something on her own, lie to createspace, and put it out there on the internet by herself, she's mature enough to have her name on it. If she's going through her parents, she's ipso facto not ready to have it be fully hers. Besides, her parents might be influencing what she's publishing in a way that doesn't reflect the values or aesthetics of who this 11 year old will be when she grows up.When I was 11, I was embarrassed to show some of the things I wrote to my parents. Many years later, I still have all my writing, and the only pieces that embarrass me now are the ones I would have shown to them then.
In short, there's way too much chance the kid is writing what she thinks will make the parents happy for it to carry her name forever. Growing up qua escaping your parents is a basic human right, and your name shouldn't be forever attached to who they made you be when you were 11.
I sort of suspect this is what happened with Jonathan Krohn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan...). One could go so far as citing Prussian Blue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian...).
Back off, and let the kid do what she's going to do on her own.
'Growing up qua escaping your parents is a basic human right'At 11?
What utter bollocks. They can escape all they want when they are old enough to do so.
For the record I am not opposed to a child publishing or showing their talent. I think the social media and marketing aspects of publishing a book could be overpowering and possibly harmful if there is no adult support.
Should the child publish if the book in question is 100% ready for the consumer...yes.
Should they do it alone without support....no.
Real name or pseudo...as long as the child is prepared for both negative and positive attention (even a lot of positive attention can be overwhelming), then again I would hope that there was an adult in the background to ensure their safety and well-being.
"'Growing up qua escaping your parents is a basic human right'At 11?
What utter bollocks. They can escape all they want when they are old enough to do so."
I'm not saying she is an adult at 11, I'm saying she has a right to retain the possibility of growing into whatever sort of adult she wants to be -- eventually. We are basically in agreement here. But there are things from which a child can't "escape all they want when they are old enough to do so."
You might decide your kid eats meat and she might become a vegetarian when she's older; fine, she escaped. But it's wrong to tattoo your child, because she can't undo that when she grows up and develops her own aesthetic sense (which, as I say, she has a fundamental right to do). Publishing seems to me a lot like the tattoo case. That's going to be there forever.
Andrew, following your tattoo example, are you saying that you think she should publish, but under a pseudonym on the grounds that it isn't then indelibly linked to her and isn't going to be hung round her neck forever?If so I think you're agreeing with a lot of people here
I write under my own name...
Jim, yes, I'm all for the pseudonym and I agree with a lot of the above.I suppose the one point I wanted to make was that the original question does not specify whether the child is acting on her own or with a lot of guidance from her parents, and I think the more it's the former the more it's okay.
To keep up the tattoo example, where I live you have to be 18 to get one on your own. I got one illegally when I was younger than that, and I don't regret it a bit. It was my choice, and the effort I put into getting around the rules showed I was committed and ready. It took a lot of research and planning to get my illegal tattoo, and because I couldn't tell my parents (or really anyone) I was acting completely of my own will, and obviously not under someone else's influence.
That's why I say that (improbable as it is) if the 11 year old can publish on her own I think she's fine using her own name. Otherwise, completely agree pseudonym is the way to go.
D.M. Andrews (GoodReads Author) wrote: "I write under my own name..."Well being a dark lord you would wouldn't you.
I've always written under my own name, with one exception.
It was when I'd contributed a bit of stuff to a magazine that was just starting, and because it was a bit on the 'never-never' and I was helping out, two of my articles went in each issue for a while. One article was published under the name of M.D.Jackson. There was an editorial thanking M.D.Jackson for his contributions, explaining that any errors were due to the fact that the contribution appeared written in wax crayon on brown wrapping paper, but it's the only materials the ward sister to allow him to have.
And I say 100% the opposite: Telling her to use a pseudonym is tantamount to saying she should be ashamed of who she is or what she's written.
I feel very strongly about this. I really don't think she should use her real name. She is very young, nobody knows what direction her personal life will take or what direction her writing career will take.There are many reasons why a person might desire or even need a little distance between their writing and personal lives. Many of these issues do not show their faces until adulthood.
Just off the top of my head, she could want to write about something a little controversial when she gets older which clashes with a day job. Or, she could turn out to be gay and want to be out in her personal life but not professional, so as not to embarrass an elderly aunt.
Perhaps this seems a little premature, but you can't take back a decision like this.
I know that, if she uses her own photo, the use of a pen name may sound purely semantic, but believe me, there is a huge psychological difference for the author.
I have a pen name. Even though my real name is there for anybody who wants to look and I use photos of me in connection with my book, I feel that having a distinct identity for my writing gives me valued personal space.
When readers Google Rosen Trevithick, they find details relating to my work and not information about where I hang out, who my friends are, my sexuality or my health - all things that may be visible under my real name.
I use my real name on social media sites where I connect with people from my personal life, and my pen name when I connect with readers and other writers. My personal friends know that if I post something about Rosen Trevithick, then that's me, and the different name has never been an issue for them.
I can compartmentalise - emails to Rosen can be dealt with when I'm working and I can turn off professional messages when I need to relax, because professional contacts don't look for me under my real name.
Another valid point is that having a pen name will allow her to choose something entirely unique.
I have writing projects from just five years ago that I've been glad of the opportunity to distance myself from. I'm not saying that she will - it sounds like a great project. But you can chose to be closely associated with a pen name, whilst you cannot choose to be disassociated from your own.
Nevertheless, she should be proud and tell everybody that she's written a book and if anybody tries to bully her we'll send the UKAKF mafia around to sort them out. If a kid at my school published a book when we were 11, I'd have been seething with jealousy!
Tim wrote: "And I say 100% the opposite: Telling her to use a pseudonym is tantamount to saying she should be ashamed of who she is or what she's written."I use a pseudonym and I'm not remotely ashamed of either who I am, or my written work as Rosen.
Just re-read my message and I realise it sounds a bit OTT for an eleven year old's school project, but you never know what will happen with publishing. The fact that she's eleven in itself is newsworthy and with Mel and Katie on board, she could end up building a firm foundation for a writing career when she's older.
But your pseudonym was your choice. If she choses of her own volition to use a pen name, then that's fair enough. But to be *told* to use a pen name ("she should not...") for no better reason than because she "might" be bullied at some time in the future? I'm sorry but that isn't protecting children, that is teaching them that they should be ashamed or worse, afraid of their achievement.Emma Watson was 9 when she was cast as Hermione Granger, yet she was able to cope and keep her name (okay, becoming a movie star isn't in quite the same league as publishing a book...)
As to whether she's old enough to make her own choice, I think if she's capable of writing the book and getting it published, even with a little help, she's certainly capable of knowing what she wants to be called as the author. Her book; her choice. Let no one force anything else on her.
You seem to be responding to my post, but have you read it?I gave multiple persuasive reasons to use a pen name, not one of them was bullying.
An eleven year old cannot be expected to fully appreciate future implications, which may extend to occupation, sexuality, unexpected health conditions and many other pressures of the adult world.
Being capable of writing a book does not imply the ability to process adult issues.
And Emma Watson is an actor and therefore her face is most probably recognised wherever she goes, so a pseudonym would have less effect that it would to an author.
For example, at eleven I had no idea that I would later develop a severe mental health problem. This is a factor that had a huge impact on my decision to use a pen name. If the book is a big success, it'll be hard for her to later change the name she writes under, so it's best to consider the future now.
I mentioned bullying as a reason, but I also said that it's her decision. I don't see a pseudonym as taking away her accomplishment though I do think that she should be encouraged to use a pen name, but not forced. I say encourage get to simply because she can choose to keep that part of her life separate if she uses a pen name, but not so much if she uses her real name, which she will probably be using for social media, etc, in the future
It's hard to know what to do, but having 'spoken' to this young lady via email, I'd be inclined to say, "these are the pros and cons of using your real name. What do you want to do?" I'd say she has the perspicacity* to work it out for herself.*word for the day! ;)
And you lot are fabulous.Thank you!
You've given me lots to think of and present to her. Yes Katie, that's exactly the plan I had and this conversation has given me plenty of pros and cons to discuss with her that I'd not considered.
I too have some reservations about using her real name. She is eleven years old and whilst she may be a mature eleven year old, she is still a child and should expect adults to make decisions for her. There are lots of decisions children make but considering something in the long term is not something they do well. There is simply not the life experience to do that. Not a bad thing but a fact.
I personally think it should be considered carefully, as Kate says, lay out the known facts, but the in my opinion the decision should not be left to an eleven year old on her own.
The final decision will be made by her parents and her.
Best way! Good luck to her, whatever they decide!
Going through the same thing with my daughter, Patti. She's only 10 at the moment but we're working on a book together which will be published in her name. Would be interested to hear which way you eventually decide.
Interesting question. I used to have little poems and silly stories published all over the place from the age of about 10. But that was in the era of print only, the only known copies are in a desk drawer in my parents' house. Anything you publish digitally exists forever, and I'd be a bit mortified if someone found a copy of a poem I wrote when I was 11.But kids should be encouraged to take pride in their achievements, particularly creative ones, so I don't know. I think what I'd do now if I was 11, and what I'd do if I was in your situation, is go with a modified form of the real name - so still identifiable, but with enough distance that the young author can choose the extent to which they want to be identified with the book in real life. So in my case I might publish as Andy Lawston (damn my distinctive surname) rather than Andrew, something like that.
Yup, on the fence on this one :)
I was 21 when I published 'Broken City', I didn't have to worry about being bullied, that my books were controversial or anything else mentioned above. However I chose to use a pen name rather than my real name. I like being able to keep my writing and my day to day life separate. I certainly don't feel ashamed of my work or myself: what's so shameful about having a pen name? To me it's like having a secret, something all my own that I can share or not share at will. Sadly enough it's my dream to be sitting in a coffee shop one day and hear someone say how much they liked D.D. Chant's new book, never knowing that I'm sitting close enough to hear. ;-P
I did choose something that held meaning for me, though. My sister calls me DeeDee as a pet name and Chant is a family name.
Having a pen name has never made me feel as thought my novels weren't really *mine*. I am D.D. Chant, the same way I'm DeeDee to Amy, or Ducky to my Dad, or any of the other pet names people call me by.
Thank you for that, Deedeedarling.Wonderful thoughts you've shared.
I think that might be the first sensible thing DD has said!(jokes, you said something else last week didn't you)
D.D. wrote: "I was 21 when I published 'Broken City', I didn't have to worry about being bullied, that my books were controversial or anything else mentioned above. However I chose to use a pen name rather than..."*Like*
Jud (Disney Diva) wrote: "I think that might be the first sensible thing DD has said!(jokes, you said something else last week didn't you)"
No. That was someone else. ;)
It makes me sad how some people don't seem to have any respect for someone so young's thoughts
Do you mean Patti's student or us for teasing DD? Maybe both?
Her student I mean, and just in general. I know 11 is young but children are not stupid, and I just think people need to stop treating them like idiots..
Ha ha. I didn't know DD was a youngster.
I think she is actually the same age as me... Not so young then but not old either! :o)
Same age as me too then!Hush. I'm regressing. :D
What birthday is tomorrow Patti?
I didn't realise you were that young Patti
Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.