For published erotica authors, a question about your pseudonyms

[shelleyo]

I'm curious whether or not you chose your own pseudonyms, and whether you did it before or after you had a book-length work accepted for publication.

Did your erotic romance publisher let you choose your own name. Did they make suggestions?

I ask because I know a fantasy writer whose editor not only made pseudonym suggestions after accepting her first book, she ended up choosing the name for the writer. I don't believe the writer had any short fiction published, so there were no previous credits under a different name. If there had been, I'm not sure how it would have happened.

Thanks!

Shelley

[Satori1977]

I don't have anything published, but everyone I know chose their own pseudonyms.

[scarletpeaches]

I chose my pseudonym in February of 2009, over a year before I sold my first book. I was only in the middle of writing it at that time.

The reason being, that was the time I started my blog and I looked ahead, reasoning, "I want my blog to be under the same name under which I'm published, so readers can find me."

The first time I sold a book, the contract and other paperwork asked for my real name (for legal purposes) and what name I wished to be published under, if the two were different.

Now when I sell a book, the same thing happens. No-one's ever quibbled it. I just write 'Scarlett Parrish' on the contracts. I can't see anyone arguing against it in the future - after all, if I start with a new name now, it'd be like going right back to the beginning, being a 'new author' again.

When I sell and publish under this name, whichever editor buys my latest book can take advantage of Scarlett Parrish's (as yet very small) backlist. I guess with each book published it becomes less and less likely I'll ever have to choose another name for my erotica.

[Chumplet]

I kept my original pseudonym, but in retrospect I probably should have chosen something else since I'm subbing a YA book. If I get an agent, I'll probably have to discuss changing my pen name or have the rights of my erotic novel returned to me somehow...

[veinglory]

I can see an editor making suggestions, but I can't imagine them having the right to choose the name. Publisher control over pen names died withthe RWA/Harlequin wars of longish ago.

[Maryn]

I have short stories, no novels, published, but I've chosen the pen names, one male, one female. I publish non-erotica under my real name.

Maryn, not it

[nkkingston]

Chose my own psuedonym (well, poked friends until they chose for me!) for erotica, and I use variations on my real name for other genres. My full name actually belongs to a 1920s silent film star, so in terms of promotion it's not much use anyway.

[KimJo]

I chose my own pseudonym way back in 2006, when I first thought I might try writing erotic romance. (My first publication in that genre wasn't until 2009.) I did have one publisher tell me they might require me to change my pseudonym if it was too similar to one of their already-contracted authors, which it wasn't, as it turned out.

I write YA under sort of my real name.

[Fame<Infamy]

I have to admit there's something alluring about pen names, you could create a totally kick ass name.

[Captcha]

I created my own pen name - using a variation of the "if you were a character on a soap opera" technique. Middle name plus street I grew up on. Neither of my publishers have had anything to say about it, although I did a quick google search before I submitted to make sure that there wasn't a celebrity out there with my name...

[Marcus Avenier]

I started submitting things for publication when I was fifteen, and like any self-assured teenager (not), I was terrified at the prospect of my friends seeing my work. I made up a name, and not a single editor asked me to change it. Granted, this was not for erotica, but I can't imagine it being all that different.

[thethinker42]

I created both of my pen names. None of my publishers have ever batted an eye, not even the one that has published me under both names.

[MumblingSage]

I created both of my pen names. None of my publishers have ever batted an eye, not even the one that has published me under both names.

Pardon my nosiness, but were the stories written under each name very different from each other? I'm still new to the concept of pen names, and the thought of having to create two makes me a little dizzy...(My street name is an American Indian tribe and my middle name is my mother's maiden name, so I don't have as easy a time of it as Kate_Sherwood!)

[thethinker42]

Pardon my nosiness, but were the stories written under each name very different from each other? I'm still new to the concept of pen names, and the thought of having to create two makes me a little dizzy...(My street name is an American Indian tribe and my middle name is my mother's maiden name, so I don't have as easy a time of it as Kate_Sherwood!)

L. A. Witt: Gay romance
Lauren Gallagher: Hetero romance

And yes, maintaining two pseudonyms is a bit more work than I expected. I didn't think about it at the time, but there's that need to maintain visibility: Keep books coming out, keep the name out there, etc. Two names = double the visibility = double the work required to keep that visibility. I'm quite prolific, so it's not too difficult, but it's something I have to keep in mind and does apply some pressure that wasn't there before. "Okay, I've got three books coming out under Witt, now I need to get something out there under Gallagher..."

Not a complaint, just the reality of having two pseudonyms. If I had it to do over, I would have done it the same. :)

[nevealane]

Yes, I agree with most statements. I chose my pseudo way before I was even published. I chose a pseudo because not even my closest relatives know that I write erotica part time. Why? Because they are old school southern belles that just wouldn't understand, so I see it as a way to remain anonymus while being available to my readers.

I did the same thing as a name followed by a street name. I actually started finding my name by writing a few names backwards. I saw the name "Heaven" and thought, hmmmmm, so I spelled it backwards, dropped the 'h' and viola! Nevea was born...

[dangerousbill]

I'm curious whether or not you chose your own pseudonyms, and whether you did it before or after you had a book-length work accepted for publication.


I have a cautionary tale about a fellow writer in ERWA who wrote under her real name. A born-again at her workplace Googled her and then outed her in front of her boss and all her fellow employees. To keep her job, she had to give up the erotica writing (or more likely, adopt a pseudo).

I've been writing erotica under a pseudonym for some time. One reason is that I have friends and not-so-friends who Google me every now and then, and I don't want everyone to know about my hobby. (I Google them, too.) Also, I have a professional reputation and a technical business and I know that at least some of my clients Google me (they've told me, since it's a small business nearly unknown among some potential customers).

A pseudonym is just common sense, especially in erotica, and can be good for business. Look at all those romance novels in the drugstore whose authors all have impossibly exotic names. Sometimes it's just that your real name is boring, unspellable or awkward. Joseph Conrad sounds better than Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, for example.

Dangerous Bill (my real name)

[dangerousbill]

I did have one publisher tell me they might require me to change my pseudonym if it was too similar to one of their already-contracted authors, which it wasn't, as it turned out.

Good point. I spent some time choosing a pseudonym, and then Googled it and looked it up on www.howmanyofme.com to see how many folks with that name there were.

I went through six or eight possibilities before settling on my current pseudo. It's worth taking the time. You might be using it for a long time.

Dangerous Bill

[Xelebes]

I have a cautionary tale about a fellow writer in ERWA who wrote under her real name. A born-again at her workplace Googled her and then outed her in front of her boss and all her fellow employees. To keep her job, she had to give up the erotica writing (or more likely, adopt a pseudo).

I'm thankful I live in Canada. That would be considered sexual harassment here.

[thethinker42]

I'm thankful I live in Canada. That would be considered sexual harassment here.

It is in the United States, too. Not quite sure how they got away with that.

[dangerousbill]

I'm thankful I live in Canada. That would be considered sexual harassment here.

I'm not sure why it would be sexual harassment. The fine Christian lady berated her in front of the boss and coworkers. It's harassment, perhaps, but it sounds like a legally weak case. In fact, the born-again could claim a hostile workplace for having to work with a 'pornographer'.

Not having been there, I have to guess at the details. But I do know that people do this, and usually get away with it. The consequences of bringing harassment charges (sexual or otherwise) cause grief for all concerned. It takes a strong person to tolerate the stress and disruption, and a strong case to win. Moeover, you, the plaintiff, are the pornographer and the sinner in the eyes of your coworkers and, if it came to it, a jury.

Dangerous Bill

[thethinker42]

I'm not sure why it would be sexual harassment. The fine Christian lady berated her in front of the boss and coworkers. It's harassment, perhaps, but it sounds like a legally weak case. In fact, the born-again could claim a hostile workplace for having to work with a 'pornographer'.

Not having been there, I have to guess at the details. But I do know that people do this, and usually get away with it. The consequences of bringing harassment charges (sexual or otherwise) cause grief for all concerned. It takes a strong person to tolerate the stress and disruption, and a strong case to win. Moeover, you, the plaintiff, are the pornographer and the sinner in the eyes of your coworkers and, if it came to it, a jury.

Dangerous Bill

If the born-again employee went and FOUND that the co-worker was writing erotica, and the co-worker hadn't said a word about it in the workplace, then she was guilty of harassment, not the other way around. Yeah, technically the writer was a "sinner" in the eyes of some (having been the resident - and involuntarily outed - atheist in a workplace full of religious co-workers, I've been there), but in terms of actually terminating her? Creating a case for harassment? The "she's harassing me simply by existing when she also does THAT" is a weak, weak case.

I worked for an actual porn company a few years ago, and somehow a co-worker at my other job found out. She wasn't comfortable with it, she didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do about it, and she knew it. I never spoke of it at work, so my mere presence wasn't enough for her to claim harassment.

That's not to say employers/co-workers don't have other subtle ways of making someone's life hell for things like that, but outwardly threatening her job or nailing her for harassment? Doubt it.

[shelleyo]

I appreciate everyone's responses. Scarletpeaches, that was really what I was looking for, so thanks!

I asked because I was going to pick a pseudonym now, as I wanted to try to make sure that any short stuff that might get published now or in the near future would be linked to longer stuff later with the same name. For marketing purposes, I hoped to be able to set up things like a site now and get it aging. I primarily write gay erotic fiction when I write in this genre, but if I did write male/female or multiples I'd probably use the same name just for simplicity.

I already have some fiction, poetry and non-fiction published under my real name. And I make a living as a freelancer. While I'm absolutely not embarrassed by or ashamed of writing gay erotic fiction, I do keep this removed from my name.

The first paid fiction I ever sold, I think back in 1997 or 1998, was hardcore porn, not the kind that gives a byline. And I've written various adult entertainment texts off and on through the years. I've never submitted anywhere that gives a byline, as a lot of my work was stories read by actresses, phone scripts and adult ads for websites. But since I don't really do that anymore and have a few ideas for novel-length erotic romantic fiction, I know now's a good a time as any to think about a website, marketing and all the stuff that goes with self-promotion.

I would never want a corporate client for whom I'm writing web content to be able to Google my name and find a dirty story, or a slew of them. I don't think that would help me put food on the table. Sure, a few wouldn't care. But many would. One client is so hyper-religious that if he found out I'm an atheist I'm sure I'd never hear from him again. Work is work, and then there's everything else. So yes, definitely, I understand the wisdom of a pseudonym. :)

I do have an acquaintance who lost her job over writing erotic fan fiction. I have nothing against fanfic-I love it. I've been writing it for fun since I was a kid (and all of mine online is under a pseudonym). And I think a company has no right to fire you on the basis of what you do in your free time (but they have ways of getting around that by using other reasons that can't be proven or disproven). But she was writing it on the clock.

She worked at a graphic design firm, and they often had a lot of free time during the day when things were slow. Since she wasn't a rainmaker, she really had nothing to do but wait for work. And so she wrote. They found out. The boss didn't care, and in fact recommended some of the stories to his brother. His brother's gay, and most of her stories were gay fiction. All was well. Until she peeved them off in another way, and they listed her "perversion" in the long list of reasons they were letting her go.

People, you know, they're funny. And by funny I mean assholes.

Shelley

[jet2larkin]

I haven't published a full length book but I have many short stories in print and on the net.

I have always used a pseudonym and I picked it myself. As a writer, I am attached to it.

Why would I use my real name so that I would be subjected to a mob of villagers with pitchforks and burning torches?..

[dangerousbill]

I asked because I was going to pick a pseudonym now, as I wanted to try to make sure that any short stuff that might get published now or in the near future would be linked to longer stuff later with the same name. For marketing purposes, I hoped to be able to set up things like a site now and get it aging.


Some experience here:

Think about taking precautions to keep your pseudo and real names separate, especially if you have something to protect--a reputation among friends, a real-world business identity (as I do), a gossipy neighbor who's discovered Google, etc.

Give your pseudo his/er own email address and web site. Avoid using your real name and pseudo on the same forum, etc. Google yourself and your pseudo frequently to make sure you both don't appear on the same page, etc.

I have a good friend who reads some of my drafts. She usually calls me by my real name, and doesn't check to see whether it was sent by me or my alter ego. Even that showed up on Google when the email was quoted on a public forum. Being a minor comment, it quickly sank into the Black Hole of Google, but I'm even more careful to keep my identities separate now.

But remember, Google is forever. Losing your pseudo cover is like losing your virginity. It doesn't grow back.

When you're a famous writer, you'll be able to finally reveal yourself to the world in a strategically timed way, and even your snoopy neighbor will be able to brag that she 'lives next door to that famous pornographer, you know the one...'

[nkkingston]

I do dither about keeping my pseudo and my 'non-erotic' writing name separate. Hell, my name here is my non-erotic one, because it didn't occur to me the erotica would take off first. Short of having two separate accounts, I'm not sure what I'd do, here or on any other networking site. It'd drive me up the wall logging in and out depending on the subject at hand. I don't think I could maintain two web presences; I barely keep up with one. And it probably will come back to bite me on the arse one day, but the trail's too big to tidy up now so I'm going to have to live with it. I'm more comfortable doing it deliberately than trying to prevent it happening accidentally, and there is a certain amount of crossover between what I write under the two names.

My real name belongs to an actress; googling myself gives three pages of her before you get to me, which makes me feel a bit safer about potential employees and acquaintances. If you don't google nkkingston as a single word you only get one hit for me (though it is the top one). One thing I have done is close my LinkedIn profile, since that felt a little too naked. My real (full) name and my place of work linked to my website... It went against everything I was raised to do on the internet, without any real benefit.

[Carlene]

I've published romances, romantic suspense, mysteries, erotica, paranormal, humor - all under my name. I want people to be able to find me and buy my books.

Carlene

[brainstorm77]

I use a pen name. Sadly it's needed sometimes when you work another job besides writing. People can be very judgemental.

[DrZoidberg]

I published under my own name, Tom Knox, which maybe wasn't the smartest move of my life. But it's at least common enough and stage-namy enough for it to drown in the sea of other people using the same name for whatever. So far nobody at work has found out, or mentioned anything to me.

[RosalieStanton]

I chose my own pseudonym, though my first publisher advised me to reconsider. My pseudonym is reflective of my home away from home, Natchez, MS. The antebellum homes Rosalie and Stanton Hall are among the most popular insofar as tours and town-history. Since I always return from Natchez feeling jazzed and ready to write, it made sense to take a part of Natchez with me on my writing journey.

My first publisher advised me to change "Rosalie" to something else, but I said I preferred it, so it remains.

[*RomanceWriter*]

I write everything under my real name (including menage) except for one sub-genre of erotic romance. For that, I use a pen name.

[Ann_Mayburn]

I went with the good old standby of 'What would your pornstar name be?' game. For those that haven't heard of it, your pornstar name is your middle name and the street you grew up on.

In my case, it was Ann Mayburn. I thought it had a nice ring to it, so what started out as a joke ended up being just right. :)

Thank God I didn't go with some of my husbands suggestions such as Tits McLure and Hottie B. Tottie. He was kidding...I hope.

[Satori1977]

LOL, never thought to do the "What would your pornstar name be?" to choose a pseudonym. Though I heard it was your first pets name and the street you grew up on. (No way would I ever use my middle name, that is my mom's name). But the way I know how to do it, it would be Bridget Rockton. How does that sound?? LOL

[nkkingston]

We always did it as pet name, which would have made me Rusty Station. Middle name makes it Kelly Station (you can see where the Kelly in Mina Kelly came from, anyway).

[singsebastian]

I'd adopt a pen name for erotica because...

while I've admited to some people close to me that I like Homosexual romance....I don't think my entire family could handle the fact that I am an erotic writer of Homosexual Romance.

I haven't gotten anything published in that genre, but I want to try it out and experiment in it. After all, its not that different from Hetro! you just have two people of the same sex. *shrugs* and most of my women come out bitchy anyway. :)

[VoireyLinger]

I chose my own name. it kept coming up on a random name generator and i liked the way it looked. I didn't want something that sounded like a porn or stripper name. I wanted something unique but realistic, something I wouldn't be embarrassed to be called in public. I also don't buy books from 'porny' author names. I honestly don't expect something from an author with a silicone-sounding name to be well-written.

Before I subbed Googled it for visibility and had my website and named email active. Having an unusual first name also means my twitter and Facebook names were open.

I write erotic to mainstream and plan to use this name for all romance. If i were writing sweets. YA, inspy, or some other genre that needed to be distinctly different from the erotic, I would pick a second name.

I also keep my pen name very separate from my real name. I don't friend myself on Facebook or follow me on titter. I'm actually very private so my real name doesn't get much online mileage. Even before i had my pen name, i used an internet pseudonym, so very few of my friends know my real name.

I have had to ask one person to remember to use my pen name when addressing me online. I've always considered it common sense to call a person by the account name but apparently not everyone makes that connection.

I have extra incentive for guarding my real name. 1) I have an unpredictable ex and if he found out I was writing erotica he might ignore it, use it as an excuse to try to take the kids again or do something illegal to hurt me. (Yes, he is unbalanced and these fears are well-founded.) 2) i live in a very conservative area and my everyday jobs and activities could be put in jeopardy if my writing were to become common knowledge. 3) I come from a very conservative Christian background. My family would be humiliated to be associated with erotica. I love them and respect this.

When it comes down to it, I value my privacy and if I were to publish something that didn't bring up any of the above concerns I'd probably still use a pen name. I wouldn't work as hard at separating it from my real-self, but i don't feel comfortable seeing my own name in print.