Initials . . . why?

[Lifelongdagger]

I wander around vaste swathes of the internet on a daily basis, primarily searching for intelligent conversation. I am often on forums or discussion boards talking about topics varying from football (soccer) to politics and now writing.

Never before, however, have I seen so many people on a forum that use their initials in their names. I am not meaning to get at anyone at all, I'm just curious why so many writers, it appears, feel the need to do this . . .

[CaroGirl]

I'm not sure what you're implying by asking this question. Some writers (S.E. Hinton, P.D. James) use their initials so the reading public isn't biased by their gender. Otherwise, not sure. I'm pretty sure it doesn't really matter, in the grand scheme, you know.

[Lifelongdagger]

That's a good point, CG . . . I never thought of that.

I suppose there is also the circumstance where there is another writer with the same name, in which case the use of an initial becomes pretty important.

There was nothing behind my question other than pure curiosity, having never come across so many initialled posters on one site.

[blacbird]

I suppose there is also the circumstance where there is another writer with the same name, in which case the use of an initial becomes pretty important.

This is particularly true today in the cases of James Frey and James N. Frey. One is a disgraced phony, the other a well-respected genre writer and teacher of writing. I suspect the latter is way PO'd against the former.

caw.

[CaroGirl]

Oh, and I hear JK Rowling does okay publishing under her initials. Why she chose to use her initials, I don't know. Maybe that gender thing again (?).

[James D. Macdonald]

I use my middle initial because "James Macdonald" by itself is a pretty common name.

[maestrowork]

Oh, and I hear JK Rowling does okay publishing under her initials. Why she chose to use her initials, I don't know. Maybe that gender thing again (?).

She didn't want her "gender" to get in the way because she wrote a YA fantasy about a boy. Little did she know she would become so famous and everyone would know her real name anyway.

I use my middle initial because, like Uncle Jim said, without it my name is rather common.

[Jamesaritchie]

I tried using the number "3" instead of a middle initial, but it just didn't look right.

[KTC]

I don't believe in initials myself.

[CaroGirl]

:ROFL: I don't believe in initials myself.

[Gillhoughly]

Some writers have very long names and using initials means it can be in larger print on the book cover.

Some writers use them to conceal gender, because, sadly, certain people are gender-biased.

One of my buds encountered a young male who was wholly convinced that no woman could write science fiction, then declared his all time fav writer to be C.J. Cherryh.

He was rather shattered when one of her friends (with great relish) told him the truth.

Same thing for a male crony of mine who writes romances, but he uses a (feminine) pen name, and that's a different thread entirely. :tongue

[maestrowork]

I was just wondering... how many men do write romances under female pen names? Interesting. And what do they do when they go to RWA conferences? Dress in drag? :P

[blacbird]

Not long ago I got into an argument with someone who'd read one of Tracy Kidder's books, and raved about how wonderful a writer she was. When I pointed out that Tracy Kidder was a man, not a woman, this person (who was female, incidentally) simply would not believe it.

For the record, I went to school with Tracy Kidder, so I kind of, like, know, you know? Even that revelation didn't faze this woman. Belief can be a wonderful and scary thing.

caw.

[Jamesaritchie]

I was just wondering... how many men do write romances under female pen names? Interesting. And what do they do when they go to RWA conferences? Dress in drag? :P

Several. But they go to conferences as men. A handful of men, known to be sensitive romantics, which is why they write romance fiction, in a crowd of thousands of women. Are you kidding?

[maestrowork]

James, I don't write romance but my novel constantly get mixed up by stores and marketing as "romance" so I am thinking, what the heck, I am going to go to RWA next year (I missed this year in Atlanta). Thousands of women. Exactly. ;)

[Jamesaritchie]

James, I don't write romance but my novel constantly get mixed up by stores and marketing as "romance" so I am thinking, what the heck, I am going to go to RWA next year (I missed this year in Atlanta). Thousands of women. Exactly. ;)


I was a member of the RWA for a good while. Believe me, it's worth it.

You also get one heck of a good writing magazine along with membership.

[P.H.Delarran]

i put some thought into choosing my pen name, and whether or not to use it as my member name here. originally i picked Peyton H. Delarran. i chose the name by mixing up the letters of my full maiden name. the H is just a leftover letter that needed to be used.
i shortened it to P.H. for a few reasons; i like the genderless quality; i feel Peyton gives an impression of a very girly girl and thought i might be corralled into genre assumptions; i like the initials, P.H.D.; it's very generic and keeps me quite annonomous on this big ole' crazy internet.
this last reason, i suspect, motivates a lot of people to use just initials as member names on message boards.

i am not published nor anywhere near published, but am quite sure this is the name i will continue to write under.

[Cat Scratch]

There is a man in our local RWA chapter and boy, does he like being surrounded by all of those females. None of us think it is the least bit strange. In fact, I was thinking to myself "How would I feel if a man wandered into one of our meetings?" and then realized that a man is our vice president and good friend of mine.

[scribbler1382]

If I'm not mistaken, Joe Konrath, who publishes under "J.A. Konrath" was asked to do so because it was gender neutral, and his genre (mystery) is mainly read by women.

[KTC]

James, I don't write romance but my novel constantly get mixed up by stores and marketing as "romance" so I am thinking, what the heck, I am going to go to RWA next year (I missed this year in Atlanta). Thousands of women. Exactly. ;)

I was extremely surprised, Ray. I have a good friend in Harlequin in Toronto. There are quite a few men writing for them under female names.

[TLHines]

If I'm not mistaken, Joe Konrath, who publishes under "J.A. Konrath" was asked to do so because it was gender neutral, and his genre (mystery) is mainly read by women.
Bingo. Using initials makes you gender neutral. (In Joe's case, I think it was probably even more of an issue because the lead character in his series is a woman.)

In my own case, I think "Tony Hines" sounds like a pizza delivery guy, whereas "TL Hines" sounds high falutin' and literary.

I'm all about high falutin' and literary.

[batgirl]

I've been thinking of using my middle initials (I have two!! nya-nya to all you impoverished single-initial types!) to avoid confusion with the other Barbara Gordons out there. Or using just initials with surname. (B Gordon? BML Gordon?)
I'm so jealous of my co-writer. Her name is both gender-neutral and cool-sounding. Also she could reverse the order and it would work just as well.
-Barbara

[cwfgal]

All three of my initials turn me into a sheep: baa

Kind of embarrassing, ewe know?

Beth

[badducky]

Well, if I used my first name, I could easily be mixed up with a gay Senator from Washington, and also a children's music performer.

Heck, that's just the first page of the google search. There's more.

My name's too common. Even with my middle name, too many others qualify. Initials separate me a little bit, and give me the added bonus of gender neutrality.

[Jamesaritchie]

All three of my initials turn me into a sheep: baa

Kind of embarrassing, ewe know?

Beth

Well, mine spell Jar, and I've never considered this a good thing, either.

[jbal]

Ok, no point to this so feel free to skip.
But...My initials are the same as those of my father in law, jrb, my wife's are the same as her mother's, bas before marriage, bab after, the same in both cases. odd, huh?

[Jamesaritchie]

Ok, no point to this so feel free to skip.
But...My initials are the same as those of my father in law, jrb, my wife's are the same as her mother's, bas before marriage, bab after, the same in both cases. odd, huh?

One of those things that make you go Hmmmmmm.

[ChaosTitan]

I have considered using initials if I ever get professionally published, because I made the mistake of putting my real name (first and last) on a lot of fanfic. Googling my name gets those hits. Googling any other combination of initials and middle name gets nada.

[NightWynde]

I guess I'm an oddity in that I use my first name with my last initial. That's primarily because my first name is unique enough to stand out on its own (not many folks with the name "Brigitta") and my last initial is the same for both my married name and my maiden name.

Btw, if I put my initials together it would end up as BAM, so that's not too hot either. LOL

[JenniferDZ]

I actually always wondered what name I would publish a book under. I don't have a middle name, but my last name is in two parts. Jennifer Della'Zanna. I kind of think the publisher is not going to be too fond of my last name to put on a book (although the mags don't have a problem with it, but that's different). I really, really, really don't want to go back to using my maiden name, though. I'm kind of attached to my husband's name. In my more depressed moments, I think that it may not ever be an issue. So, could I just publish under the same way I sign my posts? :-)

Jen DZ

[scribbler1382]

I've used my full first and last name with my middle initial for everything I've had published up until now, but lately I've been thinking I want my pen name to be more informal. Why did I use the initial in the first place? Beats me. I think back when I first started Michael J. Fox was popular and my favorite author at the time was Robert R. McCammon, so mimicry may have been a factor.

And my initials are MRS...I remember when I was 16 my mother bought me an ID bracelet (all the rage way back then) and I couldn't bring myself to wear it. :)

[Gillhoughly]

And what do they do when they go to RWA conferences?

They dress nice and if available for it make out like bandits, being outnumbered by women 200 to one. The women writers LOVE having a guy writer at a conference!

:tongue

[UrsusMinor]

In my own case, I think "Tony Hines" sounds like a pizza delivery guy, whereas "TL Hines" sounds high falutin' and literary.

I'm all about high falutin' and literary.

Absolutely. Although I'm a little puzzled that T. Coraghessan Boyle has decided to switich to TC Boyle.

The all-time cool literary name was the relatively obscure French existentialist story writer JMG Le Clezio. What I wouldn't give for a name that cool.

[maestrowork]

They dress nice and if available for it make out like bandits, being outnumbered by women 200 to one. The women writers LOVE having a guy writer at a conference!

:tongue

DARN! I really missed my calling! I was thinking of going to Atlanta but missed it. When is the next one?!?!? :)

[Jamesaritchie]

DARN! I really missed my calling! I was thinking of going to Atlanta but missed it. When is the next one?!?!? :)

I don't know, but if you can handle 200 to one, you have my undying admiration.

[Lolly]

I'm a woman who loves sports, so I wrote some articles for a sport magazine. My editor knew my gender, but he was the only one. The actual stories had my middle name (which is gender neutral) and my last name. I was afraid some people wouldn't read my stories if they saw it was written by a woman.

Now that I'm working on a novel, I'm debating what to use for my name. My last name is pretty ordinary, so I'd like to punch it up a little. I'm considering either going with my initials or just picking a pseudonym for my last name.

[Mags]

I share a name with a crazy actress (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0837925/) who killed herself and all my college professors loved to remind me of it on the first day of class when they called roll, even though she spelled her surname differently. *rolls eyes* For various reasons I prefer to not use my nickname. Thus, I use my middle initial.

[janetbellinger]

If I used my initials I would become JER. If I added my last name I'd be JERB, short for gerbil, maybe? If I used my maiden name, I would be JERM, which is what my sister called me when I was a kid.

[nancy02664]

Once I found out there were other authors out there with my name, I decided to add my middle initial just to distinguish myself from them.

[Richard White]

I've been using my middle intial forever in my signature. Seemed appropriate that I use it as my "author name" also. Besides, there are four Richard Whites where I work (and the company isn't THAT big) as is. I need something to separate myself from the others.

[E.G. Gammon]

I, too, have embarrassing initials, but because I'm a Jr, and got my name from my dad, I've always been proud of being an "egg." And I figured anyone who reads/sees my work, will figure it out anyway, so why not embrace it? Also, odd things like that tend to stick in people's minds (which is not such a bad thing).

But, I initially chose "E.G. Gammon" as my writing name because it's the shortest I could make my own name. A few years ago, I was investing in my own .com domain name and I was trying to make it as short as possible. The name just stuck.

I also go by my middle name, Garrett, and for "official forms" of any kind, I'd always find myself writing E. Garrett Gammon; so shortening it to "E.G." was no big deal.

[Camilla]

I don't think I'll use initials (if I'm ever in the position to make that decision) because my name is reasonably unusual and I don't expect I'll get mixed up with anyone else. Besides, my married initials (CDBM) make me sound like some kind of heavy artillery :tongue

On the James Frey/James N. Frey thing - seriously?? I had no idea :o Coincidentally, there is also a James Frey who is the singer in an Australian band. No idea if he's the same as one of these blokes...

E.G. Gammon, I like your initials! They're really cool :D

[MadScientistMatt]

i feel Peyton gives an impression of a very girly girl and thought i might be corralled into genre assumptions...

Actually, when I heard the name Peyton, the first person that came to mind was Peyton Manning, NFL quarterback.

[Jamesaritchie]

Actually, when I heard the name Peyton, the first person that came to mind was Peyton Manning, NFL quarterback.

So did I. In fact, I've known three or four men (One was called "Pate, but I think his name was Peyton.) named Peyton, but never a woman.

"Peyton" is also listed in the boy's section of my baby names book, but not in the girl's section.

[Zolah]

I think I'm lucky with my name (Zoë Marriott) firstly because it's quite unique (there are no other writers with that name, though there is one lawyer) and secondly because my last name is memorable. Everyone always goes 'Like the Hotel?' which means that it should be easy to remember and spell right.

At one point I did consider going by my initials (which would be Z.D. Marriott) because I don't like my first name much and I worried about that 'boys/men don't read books by women' thing. Then J.K. Rowling came along and I realised it would look like I was copying. Besides, I write young adult fiction with strong female characters, which means that I don't have to hide the fact that I'm a woman. I want girls and women to be attracted to my fiction - if boys and men aren't because of my gender, there's nothing I can do about it. Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, Jan Mark, Geraldine McCaughran, Anne Fine, Meg Cabot, Gail Carson Levine and Patricia C Wrede (among a dozen others) don't hide the fact that they're women, so why should I?

[Jamesaritchie]

I think I'm lucky with my name (Zoë Marriott) firstly because it's quite unique (there are no other writers with that name, though there is one lawyer) and secondly because my last name is memorable. Everyone always goes 'Like the Hotel?' which means that it should be easy to remember and spell right.

At one point I did consider going by my initials (which would be Z.D. Marriott) because I don't like my first name much and I worried about that 'boys/men don't read books by women' thing. Then J.K. Rowling came along and I realised it would look like I was copying. Besides, I write young adult fiction with strong female characters, which means that I don't have to hide the fact that I'm a woman. I want girls and women to be attracted to my fiction - if boys and men aren't because of my gender, there's nothing I can do about it. Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, Jan Mark, Geraldine McCaughran, Anne Fine, Meg Cabot, Gail Carson Levine and Patricia C Wrede (among a dozen others) don't hide the fact that they're women, so why should I?

I don't think anyone would accuse you of copying J. K. Rowling for using initials. She's hardly the first writer to have done this. And she won't be the last.

Sad to say, I've heard of only two of the wirters you mention, and I don't think I've read any of them.

[scribbler1382]

Not that it's here nor there, but two of the names you mentioned are already gender neutral.

I don't think anyone is saying you MUST hide your gender. Obviously some authors don't and they do just fine. But I do think it's something (both genders) need to be aware of. I mean, while it seems like the authors who don't change are doing fine, how many authors who aren't doing fine could change their lot by a simple moniker adjustment? Something to consider.

[Sidmyster]

i think i would use my first and middle name initils alog with my full surname.

[JAK]

Never before, however, have I seen so many people on a forum that use their initials in their names. I am not meaning to get at anyone at all, I'm just curious why so many writers, it appears, feel the need to do this . . .

Oh, I don't know.

Yours,

John Karr

John A. Karr

[P.H.Delarran]

Actually, when I heard the name Peyton, the first person that came to mind was Peyton Manning, NFL quarterback.
goes to show i don't follow the NFL.

[Bayou Bill]

I wander around vaste swathes of the internet on a daily basis, primarily searching for intelligent conversation. I am often on forums or discussion boards talking about topics varying from football (soccer) to politics and now writing.

Never before, however, have I seen so many people on a forum that use their initials in their names. I am not meaning to get at anyone at all, I'm just curious why so many writers, it appears, feel the need to do this . . .As others have mentioned, it's a form of branding since it makes the name a bit more unique. And it's also something of a writing tradition, for instance:

F. Scott Fitzgerald
C.S. Forester
H.P. Lovecraft
P.G. Wodehouse
J.D. Salinger
J.K. Rowlings
William F. Buckley Jr.

Bayou Bill :cool:

[Selcaby]

C.S. Lewis
T.S. Eliot

Though if my middle name was Staples or Stearns (instead of Jane) I would use it.

[willietheshakes]

Perhaps of interest only to me...

I had to argue a bit to be able to include/use my middle initial in publishing capacities. When asked, the only compelling reason I could give for using it was "Well, it's me, isn't it?" I've always used the middle initial both in my personal life and in my freelancing and it wasn't really a negotiable point for me: it's just who I am.

Fast-forward to the present and imagine my surprise: I've dropped the initial from my signature when signing books. Typically, I sign cheques, wills, legal documents, etc, with my first two initials and a scrawl for the last name. In order to keep my book-signature distinct, something had to go, and the J it was...

[scribbler1382]

Interestingly enough, I was fingering through the spines on my bookshelf and thinking about authors who use their initials, when I noticed that half of Koontz' books are by "Dean R. Koontz" and the other half are just by "Dean Koontz". Not sure what this says, if anything, but I found it interesting.

[Jamesaritchie]

goes to show i don't follow the NFL.

Go down south and you'll find men named "Peyton" all over the place. Most people in the south, not to mention the millions of NFL fans around the country and the world, would be surprised that someone thinks "Peyton" is a very girlie name.

[Soccer Mom]

Peyton is pretty common down here, but I think of it as a boy name.

ETA- And yes, it makes me think of Peyton Manning. And yes, we are all obsessed with football in Texas.

[Zolah]

I don't think anyone would accuse you of copying J. K. Rowling for using initials. She's hardly the first writer to have done this. And she won't be the last.

Sad to say, I've heard of only two of the wirters you mention, and I don't think I've read any of them.

Actually, yes they would. I write for children, and children hate 'copy-cats' - they're very keen to point out any similarities between your work and someone else's and ask if you copied. I didn't want to have to deal with that, so I avoided it by ditching the idea of using my initials.

It is quite sad that you've only heard of two of the writers that I mention. They are award winning, critically acclaimed writers of children's and young adult fiction (and in some cases, award winning, critically acclaimed adult fiction too). You should look them up.

[Zolah]

Not that it's here nor there, but two of the names you mentioned are already gender neutral.


However, those writers (I assume you mean Robin McKinley and the late Jan Mark) never make/made any secret of their gender (especially not Jan Mark, who is a household name and a favourite with boys and girls in the UK). My point was that, as a woman writing for young adults, you're walking in the footsteps of the great and shouldn't feel any need to fudge.

[Jamesaritchie]

Actually, yes they would. I write for children, and children hate 'copy-cats' - they're very keen to point out any similarities between your work and someone else's and ask if you copied. I didn't want to have to deal with that, so I avoided it by ditching the idea of using my initials.

It is quite sad that you've only heard of two of the writers that I mention. They are award winning, critically acclaimed writers of children's and young adult fiction (and in some cases, award winning, critically acclaimed adult fiction too). You should look them up.

I'll give the adult writers a go. There are just so many writers out there, and so little time to read them

But about copying. Children, hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions of them, were reading R. L. Stine well before anyone ever heard of J. K. Rowling. I've never heard anyone, including children, accuse J.K. of copying R.L.

Children, and adults, are only going to ask if you copied someone if the writing is similar, or if the initials you use are the same ones. Children care about good stories and good characters, not the name of the writer.

[Zolah]

Children, and adults, are only going to ask if you copied someone if the writing is similar, or if the initials you use are the same ones. Children care about good stories and good characters, not the name of the writer.

How many school visits have you done lately, James? Let me tell you the first questions you get asked (in order of frequency): 'Do you know J K Rowling? Have you ever met her? Are you as rich as she is? Have you read her books? What do you think will happen in the last book? How come you write stories with wizards in them like J K Rowling - did you copy her? Then where do your ideas come from?' At which point I can usually steer the conversation onto more productive topics. These are good natured questions, often asked with charming innocence, but I'd rather not add 'Why do you use initials like J K Rowling - did you copy her?' to the list.

Besides, it just seemed a bit samey to me.

[Jamesaritchie]

How many school visits have you done lately, James? Let me tell you the first questions you get asked (in order of frequency): 'Do you know J K Rowling? Have you ever met her? Are you as rich as she is? Have you read her books? What do you think will happen in the last book? How come you write stories with wizards in them like J K Rowling - did you copy her? Then where do your ideas come from?' At which point I can usually steer the conversation onto more productive topics. These are good natured questions, often asked with charming innocence, but I'd rather not add 'Why do you use initials like J K Rowling - did you copy her?' to the list.

Besides, it just seemed a bit samey to me.

Quite a few, actually. But I don't write stories anything like what J.K. writes, so I get none of these questions.

[Cassiopeia]

My pen name includes initials (for gender purposes) and I use my maiden name in ancestral form. If I use my real name I am going to run into a problem as there are too many authors with my surename in suspense\mystery.

[Zolah]

Quite a few, actually. But I don't write stories anything like what J.K. writes, so I get none of these questions.

My work is for young adults (12+) and is serious historical fantasy dealing with themes of culture, faith, violence and sex. My main characters so far have all been teenage (15 and over) females. I have never written a series. No one has ever died of being blasted with a wand in any work of mine, because there are no wands in my work. Neither, in fact, has the word 'wizard' ever been used. My second novel features no magic whatsoever. And yet...

I'm afraid that's all part of being a children's fantasy writer in the UK today, especially a female one. Since you are none of those things, it's unlikely that you would have to deal with the same problems. Doesn't mean they don't exist.

[LABurton]

I use my initials because someone was already published under my name.

[Gillhoughly]

DARN! I really missed my calling! I was thinking of going to Atlanta but missed it. When is the next one?!?!? :)

Don't know, but they're not cheap. Ticket + travel + hotel + food + banquets = $$$.

On the other hand, take some dancing lessons, wear a tuxedo, act as confident as James Bond, and you will SO get some action. :D

[Popeyesays]

As others have mentioned, it's a form of branding since it makes the name a bit more unique. And it's also something of a writing tradition, for instance:

F. Scott Fitzgerald
C.S. Forester
H.P. Lovecraft
P.G. Wodehouse
J.D. Salinger
J.K. Rowlings
William F. Buckley Jr.

Bayou Bill :cool:

I'm using my initials (C. S.) for Charles Scott and my last name Saylors is peculiar enough that I have never seen another author with that name (with an 's' on the end)

I used the C. S. because C.S. Forester was my favorite author growing up. One must note however, that 'Forester' was a pen name. His last name was Troughton-Smith. The C. S. stands for Cecil Scott.

Regards,
Scott

[Lolly]

Peyton is pretty common down here, but I think of it as a boy name.

ETA- And yes, it makes me think of Peyton Manning. And yes, we are all obsessed with football in Texas.

I'm from Dallas! Go Cowboys! Even though we live in Britain, my husband and I watch the NFL on satellite. I guess that obsession just never leaves you. ;)


And when I think of Peyton, I think of Peyton Place. :tongue

[Lolly]

Oh, I don't know.

Yours,

John Karr

John A. Karr


It took me a moment, but I got it. :ROFL:

[LightShadow]

I'm not sure what you're implying by asking this question. Some writers (S.E. Hinton, P.D. James) use their initials so the reading public isn't biased by their gender. Otherwise, not sure. I'm pretty sure it doesn't really matter, in the grand scheme, you know.


J.A. Konrath says that the decision to use his initials, rather than his name was recommended to him by his editor (not Konrath's idea) to eliminate any gender-bias because his main character, written in first person, is female - - and the initials take away the male writer association. . .leaving the reader to not make any decisions such as "hey, what's a guy doing writing as a female character?"

[SC Harrison]

I chose to use my first and middle initials for the reason many have stated, that being gender neutrality. I have to admit to a certain hesitance when it comes to reading an unknown female author, even though I read and enjoy many. It really doesn't make much sense, but there's no denying the ingrained subjectivity, so I decided to try to trick people.

Besides, "Steve" sounds like a former jock who still wears his old letter jacket, and "Steven" sounds like a good little boy who keeps his room clean.

[jules]

Interesting we've had all this discussion, and nobody's mentioned the reason why I would put my middle initial on the cover of my books: my name doesn't sound very good without it. My first name ("Julian") ends with a hard consonant sound, and my surname ("Hall") begins with an aspirated sound, which is a hard transition to make without stopping completely. A lot of people just drop the 'H' from the beginning of the surname, which sounds sloppy. But the middle initial, 'R', makes everything flow better.

[Sesselja]

Interestingly enough, I was fingering through the spines on my bookshelf and thinking about authors who use their initials, when I noticed that half of Koontz' books are by "Dean R. Koontz" and the other half are just by "Dean Koontz". Not sure what this says, if anything, but I found it interesting.

That reminds me:
Iain Banks uses the inital to distinguish between the two genres he writes in. As Iain Banks he writes lit.fic, and as Iain M. Banks he writes sci.fi (or was it the other way round?).

[SeanDSchaffer]

I use my middle initial so that people don't get me confused with another Sean Schaffer I found out about when I Googled my name.

Besides, the middle initial adds a little more catchiness to the (IMO) otherwise bland name.