A question about pen names

SaronaNalia · Feb 15, 2012

I'm considering a pen name because my real name is extremely difficult to spell, pronounce, and for many people even remember. I worry that readers will have trouble when trying to google me and whatnot. But I don't really want my work separated from me. I'm not interested in being anonymous.

So my question is this: would it be ok for me to write under a pen name but reveal my real name on my website/blog/whatever? Do you know of any authors who have done something similar to this? Or is this idea just crazy?

DeleyanLee · Feb 15, 2012

It's completely up to the author and not crazy at all. Many authors have done this, Leigh Greenwood (male Romance author) and Sheila Viehl (She of Many Pen Names and Genres) are two that come to mind easily.

VoireyLinger · Feb 15, 2012

If you are comfortable revealing your real name then I don't see a problem. It's your name and your call.

dangerousbill · Feb 15, 2012

SaronaNalia said:
I'm considering a pen name because my real name is extremely difficult to spell, pronounce, and for many people even remember. I worry that readers will have trouble when trying to google me and whatnot. But I don't really want my work separated from me. I'm not interested in being anonymous.

You mean, like Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski decided to call himself Joseph Conrad?

Just make sure you don't accidentally choose the name of another author or a name close to it, like JK Rawling or something. Amazon is good for this.

mfarraday · Feb 15, 2012

i can relate. my last name is 14 letters long.

so i adopted the pen name Madeleine Farraday.

good luck choosing one; it's a lot of fun.

as for your question, i would probably put my real name somewhere, maybe in the biographical section or something?

hmm....it's a good thing to wonder about.

The Seanchai · Feb 15, 2012

Personally I think it's silly to hide pen names. I use one, but am perfectly fine with people knowing my real name.

Karen Junker · Feb 15, 2012

My advice is to pick a pen name that is easy to spell and remember -- and for which you can acquire the dot.com domain name. Also, google the name and make sure it's not in use by someone in the adult entertainment industry.

Chase · Feb 15, 2012

After the disappointment upon learning "Karen Junker" was taken, I went with my short first and middle names and left my ten-letter last name for royalty checks.

Yeah, "royalty checks" are a big lie, too.

Manal · Feb 15, 2012

Pen names

Can your Pen Name also be the same name on your "royalty check"?

jaksen · Feb 15, 2012

dangerousbill said:
You mean, like Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski decided to call himself Joseph Conrad?

Just make sure you don't accidentally choose the name of another author or a name close to it, like JK Rawling or something. Amazon is good for this.

I like how Conrad did that.

Or use a combination of maiden names (from your family) - your mother's and a grandmother's. Or take your dad's middle name as a last name or reverse your dad's first and last names. Lots of ways you can take family names and use them this way. (It'll make the older relatives happy, too.)

I use my first two initials, then my married last name. The idea was to 'conceal' the fact I was female. Unfortunately the editor of the magazine I (usually) write for told my readers I was female in an editorial piece in the magazine.

But, not everyone knew that. When I was at a little MWA get-together, a quite well-known author walked over to me to shake my hand - to congratulate me on my first published piece - and he ended up shaking Mike's hand, not mine. (Mike is my husband.)

Mike nodded at me and said to the guy, "She's the writer."

Bufty · Feb 15, 2012

No. For obvious reasons.

Manal said:
Can your Pen Name also be the same name on your "royalty check"?

Brickcommajason · Feb 15, 2012

People do that all the time. John Sandford's back-of-book bio says it's a pen name in the first sentence. It's totally legit.

DeleyanLee · Feb 15, 2012

Manal said:
Can your Pen Name also be the same name on your "royalty check"?

Only if you have a legal "doing business as" pen name. It also helps if that name is on the bank account you're depositing in.

What I'm wondering is if agents/publishers will do direct deposit nowadays instead of mailing checks.

Manal · Feb 16, 2012

Pen names

DeleyanLee said:
Only if you have a legal "doing business as" pen name. It also helps if that name is on the bank account you're depositing in.

What I'm wondering is if agents/publishers will do direct deposit nowadays instead of mailing checks.

Thanks for being helpful DeleyanLee.

That's what I was thinking.

A question about pen names

SaronaNalia

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

VoireyLinger

Angel Wing Fetish

dangerousbill

Retired Illuminatus

mfarraday

Time Traveler

The Seanchai

Karen Junker

Live a little. Write a lot.

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Manal

jaksen

Caped Codder

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Brickcommajason

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

Manal