To use a Pen Name or not to...

[Paul]

Just before publishing my first book, I had to take the decision of whether to use my own name or a pseudonym. It was a much harder decision than I expected. I'm just wondering if anyone else took a while to decide which to go with, whether you regret that decision or whether there were any unexpected bonuses or pitfalls because of your choice?

[Doc]

I went through that thought process when I created my first professionally oriented blog. For doing things online, it is the question of using a name that is recognizably mine, vs putting too much information out there and making myself vulnerable to stalkers and information theft.

In the end, I settled on using a nick name as my pen name, and I've continued to do that in my writing. It gives me some layer of protection, but makes my writing recognizably mine.

Doc

[Paul]

I never directly considered using a nickname, but I suppose that's because I've never really had one.

I'm guessing this is an awkward topic for some. Difficult to talk about why you decided on a pen name or not if you don't want people to know whether it is your real name!

Personal protection was my key reason for considering using a pen name. It was my brother who pointed out to me that if I didn't use my real name I would probably regret it later. A quick search of the Internet revealed a lot of people with my name. That made it pretty non-specific information.

[Tony]

I use my own name for my books, but I've just completed a short erotica story in which I've used a pen name. Nom de sexe, maybe?

Mainly because my audience is YA, and I don't want them to stumble across it!

For Facebook, I have a writer account with my name, but a personal account where I use my middle initial.

I like Iain Banks' approach of using a different middle initial for whatever genre he's writing for.

[Paul]

Tony wrote: "I like Iain Banks' approach of using a different middle initial for whatever genre he's writing for. "

That sounds like a good system. Do all his readers know about that system though? I didn't until just now.

[Tony]

I didn't know about it until I saw an interview with him. Wikipedia (The great font of all knowledge) says:

"It was as Iain M. Banks that he submitted The Wasp Factory for publication; his editor asked if he would mind dropping the 'M' as it appeared "too fussy". The editor also raised concerns about possible confusion with Rosie M. Banks, a minor romantic novelist in P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels. Following his three mainstream novels, his publishers agreed to publish his first SF novel, Consider Phlebas. To distinguish between the mainstream and SF novels, Banks suggested the return of the 'M'."

It must be true, it's on Wikipedia!

[Paul]

Indeed, because Wikipedia is never wrong! lol

I've never tried any of his sci-fi because I made the mistake of reading "The Wasp Factory".

I dropped my middle initial because I also thought it was too fussy, and I don't really use it in everyday life anyway. However having now seen how many other authors there are with the same name as me, I suspect I would have been wise to keep it in there.

[Tony]

I remember another comment from Janet Evanovich about whether she'd pick a pen name if she had to start over. She said she'd change her last name because it took so long to do it at book signings!

[Rhi]

I elected to use a writing pseudonym for reasons of privacy and protection.
It also allows me to delineate my personal and professional lives, which I find is definitely a necessity.

[Paul]

Tony wrote: "I remember another comment from Janet Evanovich about whether she'd pick a pen name if she had to start over. She said she'd change her last name because it took so long to do it at book signings!"

That's something I hadn't even considered!

[Olga]

I use a pen name. Before I started writing, I was a computer programmer and I was kind of embarrassed to admit to any of my friends or coworkers that I write fantasy fiction. They considered me such a serious person. So I published my first fantasy story under a pen name. Then the second one. Now, I'm stuck with it, because all my fiction publications are associated with it. A silly reason, hey?

[Paul]

I seriously doubt you are alone in that one, Olga!

[Melissa]

My "real" name is far too common. There is another author with my name as well as hundreds of thousands of regular people. It would have gotten too confusing. When people google me I want them to find my website and social media without having to sift through a bunch of unrelated info. I (almost) regret not taking my husband's rare French surname when we got married...but sometimes having a little anonymity is nice. I use the nickname that most of my friends and family call me plus my actual middle name.

[Olga]

Missy wrote: "My "real" name is far too common. There is another author with my name as well ..."

My legal name is not common but it also has another person attached to it. I even met her once. We were both curious about each other because our name is not common. She is not a fiction writer but she publishes research papers, and they come up in google search. But my pen name is unique. That's why I picked it.

[Lanie]

Olga wrote: "I use a pen name. Before I started writing, I was a computer programmer and I was kind of embarrassed to admit to any of my friends or coworkers that I write fantasy fiction. They considered me suc..."


I went with a pen name because at first, I had no intention of telling a soul that I'd written a book.

Then I realized that it would be much easier to sell it if I started with people I knew. :)

But I still like it for the privacy factor and it is much catchier than my own name.

[Paul]

I've never really felt the need to hide the fact that I write books, although if I ever become successful at it I might change my mind on that one.

In a way my name not being too uncommon gives me a level of privacy as I can always claim I am not the one they think I am.

[A.G.]

I use a pen name because my real name seems to be hard for people to pronounce which makes it impossible to remember.

I only plan to use the one pen name, however. A lot of 'experts' advise a different pen name if you want to try a new genre (so you don't confuse your regular readers). This seems foolish to me. It's hard enough to build your name into a trusted brand, it would be counter-productive to fragment your brand into multiple segments.

When I get around to writing another genre, I will likely do the Jack Konrath thing and use my pen name but put my real name as a co-author. That way, I can differentiate the book without loosing brand recognition.

I would have to put an explanation in there somewhere to avoid misleading the reader.

[Paul]

Now that's an interesting idea! I never thought of using a pen name and real name side-by-side as co-authors.

Writing in different genres is another complication. I've been planning a murder mystery novel for a few months now (while continuing to write science fiction), but as it fits with my current series of novels, ie set in the same world, I feel I should use the same author name. I would view it as an attempt to broaden my reader base rather than fragment it by using different names.

[A.G.]

Paul wrote: "Now that's an interesting idea! I never thought of using a pen name and real name side-by-side as co-authors.

Writing in different genres is another complication. I've been planning a murder myste..."

Paul, I really do think you should use the same name. It took me a long time to reach a decent level of sales, I would have to be crazy to go through that all over again. Sci Fi readers will follow a good writer into a new genre.

If you really want to signal the different genre to your readers, maybe you could use initials for one and full name for the other.

[Paul]

You don't need to persuade me on that one, A.G. Pen name or real name, I would always view it as a brand. As you say, it would be crazy to had to go through the whole brand awareness thing again.

[Annalisa]

It had to be my name, no question for me. I can see why people would choose a pen name, but I also think it's something you know instinctively.

[Bridget]

I recently went through this same thought process. Before I published anything, I was thinking of using my first and middle initials rather than a complete pen name, but eventually, I got to the point that I was proud to put my name on my work.

Then when I started toying with genre other than fantasy, I thought again about a pen name, but so many of the arguments listed already swayed me to the fact that stick with the name you know. There are so many choices for readers out there, why do you want to miss out on them following you from other genre.

The one argument I agreed with for using a pen name was if you wrote YA and then decided to go with something more adult. You don't want to get those two fan bases confused.

[Paul]

I hadn't thought about it quite like that, Bridget, but I have to admit I'm also proud of my writing. Whilst I have no interest in being famous, I do like people to know that it is my work. I realise that could clash in future, but for now I'm happy with using my own name.

Good point about the YA market. In my case I think most, if not all, of my writing is not unsuitable for the YA market (although I don't think it would appeal to them) so I don't foresee any problems there.

[Paul]

I am so glad I started this thread. Thanks to everyone who has participated so far. It's really thrown up a lot more aspects to this decision than I had considered before I first posted.

[Christopher]

I use a pseudonym for two reasons. First, my real name is hard to pronounce and doesn't sound like an author's name. Secondly, I'm building a brand for myself as an author and there is too much out there under my real name that'd be confusing or distracting to my brand. My pseudonym is my middle nam and my grandmother-in-laws maiden name. My wife uses the same combination for her pseudonym. When we're famous it'll make for good interview material :)

[Paul]

I'd never thought of a name not sounding like an author. Just what does sound like an author?

[Dianna]

I began building up writing credentials before I was married, so when I write my books now, I use my maiden name hymphenated with my legal name.

[Tellulah]

I'm using a pen name. For me, it was all about creating my fun alter ego publishing my YA novels. So that was never the issue. What I did go back and forth on was whether to share my real name.

In the end, and after talking to people about it, I decided to put my real name on my website. If anyone cares, they can find it there. Plus my "real life" credits lend a modicum of credibility to the topic on my blog.

I find the entire issue very interesting and often complex.

[Paul]

There's been a few times I've wondered whether my decision to not use a pen name was the right one. It hasn't actually caused me any problems so far. I think my parents and my children are pleased I used my real name.

[Brandie]

I wish I would have used a pen name because my pastor talked me out of writing the novilizations for a two part movie that was just picked up by the people who did The Blind Side. This was about the anti-christ and he was concerned about me leading people astray. The scriptwriter has written a script on my book and I really wish I used a pen name bc I would love the anonymity.
I'm writing a book now and hopefully I will come up with a clever way to explain the large income I might recieve when everyone thinks I never finished it...lol

[Paul]

He was seriously concerned about you leading people astray? Does he have no faith in his beliefs? lol

[Doc]

Paul wrote: "He was seriously concerned about you leading people astray? Does he have no faith in his beliefs? lol"

Apparently he has no faith in her writing.

Doc

[Margaret]

I decided to use my full name, to avoid confusion with other writers that have my first and last name.
At the moment I'm not well known, but my readers tell me it well may happen. I don't regret using my real name, but I wouldn't give out any more information such as the suburb I live in.
My writing has been described as 'heartwarming' so I don't have the fears of a previous writer.

[Paul]

Other authors with the same name was a worry for me too, but I thought it would suit me to avoid being confused by simply being substantially more successful.

I always work better in the face of a challenge.

[J.]

The Demon Plague by Joreid McFate is a combination of my writing partner's, Frances McFate's, last name and mine. It works. We wrote and submitted and finally got a publisher all on line. We didn't meet face to face until after our novel was published.

[J.]

Sir Smithson Montgomery writes stuffy stuff.
PUD WHACKAMORE writes racy stuff.
Matilda Wentworth writes Agatha Christie type novels.
Bex Beatlesby writes.... you get the idea.

[Paul]

L.G. wrote: "I don't know about anyone else but writing under a different name would present the feeling that someone was watching over my shoulder. I would definitely want to please them. LOL"

Now that's definitely an interesting way of look it at. That approach had never crossed my mind before, but I can see the advantage of it. I might give that a try as I have a few more genres I want to try out in future. It would be a cool experiment to see if writing under a pen name which is designed to match the genre (and is very different to my name) actually makes me write in a slightly different style.

I'd love to hear from anyone else who has tried that or uses it as a technique to get different results.

[[deleted user]]

I think a pen name allows more freedom, rather than a feeling of being watched. Perhaps it depends on whether you plan to let it be known who the 'real' you is?

[Aleksandr]

I work in financial services as an editor, so having a pen name is absolutely vital (because HR will google your name and might check Facebook/Twitter for what you're up to). Similar, I write queer romances, which, let's say, is probably seen as "less respectable" than, say, non-fiction.

I created my first pen name in German because I wanted to become a professor of history and the commissions that fill the very few historian jobs at university would definitely have frowned upon writing fantasy (it was a huge stigma, you couldn't even admit to liking re-enactment or the SCA or anything that "bastardized" history).

Also, in the age of huge data aggregation, a pseudonym isn't connected to your house purchase or your RL phone number/address. For example, I was quite shocked when recently somebody linked me to the flat purchase of an author in my genre and I got to learn his real life partner's name and how much exactly he'd paid for the condo and its exact specs - including address and everything. Personally, I'm not comfortable with my readers (or any random stranger) knowing this about me.

[Nike]

Bridget wrote: "I recently went through this same thought process. Before I published anything, I was thinking of using my first and middle initials rather than a complete pen name, but eventually, I got to the po..."

Bridget, I'm also proud of my name and my work.

The only reason why I'd ever use a pen name is if I decided to write in a new genre that's a complete departure for me. My name is very associated with Inspy Romantic Thrillers (slightly edgy, sophisticated themes tastefully presented). I've done a lot of work establishing my actual name as a brand.

So, as not to ruin the work I've put into that brand, if I wanted to write fantasy YA for sake of arguemtn, I would probably chose a pen name. Right now I have no desire to write YA fantasy...but the point remains.

[Catherine]

When I was young, I dreamed of having a pen name (seemed like fun!) After my book was written, my agent took the liberty of suggesting 'Catherine Bennett' instead of 'Cathy' because she said it sounded more like a Romance writer's name. I'm glad now that I went along with her logic.