Pen names.....

[CACTUSWENDY]

:poke:

I know what 'pen' names are, but have a couple of questions about them.

Do you have to set up an LLC or something like that to list your 'pen' names?
And when you finally are lucky enough for an agent to represent you are names talked about then?
And since it is a 'pen' name, can a female use a male name and vice versa? I know it has been done in the past with some great works. But is it still done?
And those of you that are already published, and use 'pen' names, how did you come up with the ones you finally used?

Thanks ahead for any input.....I love you guys...Wendy

:D

[katdad]

You don't need to set up a separate LLC or any other legal aspect. Your pen name is your "property" just like your books are. When you register a copyright, there is a spot for you to put your pen name and then you use your real name for the signature and documentation.

As for females using male pseudonyms, yes it's still done. This is especially done in male-dominated fields like hardboiled mystery fiction, military books, and similar.

Likewise, occasionally men will use female pen names when writing romance novels.

[Puddle Jumper]

I'm not exactly sure what a pen name is. Is that if I didn't want my real name to go on a book cover, I could invent a name, similar to actors creating a stage name, and use that instead?

[Susan Gable]

Wendy, I went with a penname because my real last name is difficult to pronounce. Several things I considered when choosing a new last name was I wanted one that was easy to pronounce, spell, write, and I also checked to make sure that the dot-com domain name was availible. I wanted to keep my initials the same, because in many writing communities I was already known as Susan G.

Somehow I came up with Gable, which met all my requirements. :)

I had considered changing my first name, too, but another author friend of mine said: "Don't do that. If we're at a writer's thing, I won't know what I should call you. Also, if people yell 'Susan!' in your direction, you know to answer them. It will take a while to train yourself to answer to something else for part of the time."

She was right. I'm really glad I kept my same first name - it makes life a lot easier.

My publisher had approval rights over my penname, and I know some people have had to offer several suggestions before there was one that the publisher approved.

Also, a while back, Harlequin, by way of their contracts, actually owned the rights to the penname. That meant that if you wanted to write a book for another publisher under the same penname, you had to get their permission. You can guess how well that went over. But authors spend a lot of time discussing this issue with the company and they changed their contracts a few years ago to give the control of the penname to the author, where it rightly belongs. :snoopy:

Yes, men still take female (or androgenous) pennames when writing romance. There is a Superromance writer who writes as K.N. Casper - his real name is Ken Casper. :-)

Copyright can actually be issued in the legal name or the penname - although I do believe there *may* be some distinction in how long the copyright lasts if you do it in your penname as opposed to your legal name. I'm not sure on that. :confused:

Susan G.
--------
www.susangable.com (http://www.susangable.com/)
The Pregnancy Test - Harlequin Superromance - July 2005

[Susan Gable]

I'm not exactly sure what a pen name is. Is that if I didn't want my real name to go on a book cover, I could invent a name, similar to actors creating a stage name, and use that instead?

Yes, that's exactly it. It's a name under which your works are marketed to the public. There are numerous reasons why authors might consider using a penname instead of their real name.

Susan G.
--------
www.susangable.com (http://www.susangable.com/)
The Pregnancy Test - Harlequin Superromance - July 2005

[three seven]

Yeah, like having my first name... http://www.geocities.com/thingumybobwotsit/sick.gif

[Azure Skye]

I'll be using a pen name because my last name is just too difficult for people to get right. I've had a lifetime of experience with this and I'm rather tired of it. :Headbang: Plus, I want to write for kids and a name with one syllable is a lot easier to deal with than one with three syllables.

[azbikergirl]

Depending on what your real name is, you may consider a pen name to give you an advantage in business. Check out

http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,6024,00.html
which states "People tend to make judgments based on first impressions, and names often affect such impressions."

I guess it's conceivable that the same book title with two different author names on the exact same cover could have different rates of sale. I've never done the research, but it would be helpful for those of us considering a pseudonym.

[NicoleJLeBoeuf]

Now there's a point I never thought about. I love my born last name, I think it would make a keen name to publish under - heck, I've been publishing under it all my life (which doesn't, unfortunately, amount to a lot of publications). In the world of Short Fiction and Essays and Articles, no one seems to have a problem with it. But when I get into publishing Books, then (I hope) people might have to ask bookstore clerks, "Excuse me, where do I find Nicole J. LeBoeuf's novels?" which will inevitably get sidetracked by the whole "LeBOH.. LeBOOF... LeWho?" thing I generally use to identify telemarketers.

(For the record, it's "LeBUFF.")

If I am fortunate enough to have a publisher A) not insist I change it, and B) not insist I spell it using English phonetics... well, how likely will I be to find such a publisher? And what techniques have authors with difficult-to-pronounce last names used to educate the reading public? All I can think of is a helpful little blurb in the "About the Author" section, which doesn't much help someone who hasn't found my (hypothetical) book yet. Oh, and an easy-to-find web page that explains the situation. That I can take care of ;)

[Denis Castellan]

Yeah, like having my first name... http://www.geocities.com/thingumybobwotsit/sick.gif
Well, I like Three very much, you know :D

What about names that sound very similar, such as Coonts and Koontz ?
If your name was, say, John Greysham, would you keep it just because it's your real name or would you choose a pen name ?

[Writing Again]

I don't write under my own name because I don't like to be bothered with a lot of the garbage that goes with being an "author."

Like: People thinking you are rich. People thinking you can introduce them to celebrities. People complaining about what you write. People telling you to start writing something "worthwhile."

I'd just as soon the people around me do not know what I do and that they keep their opinions on what I do to themselves.

[katiemac]

Nicole, I have never heard a case where a publisher has asked an author to change their name. They don't care what your name is. It's up to the author if it should be named... and quite honestly if you do find that one publisher who wants you to change your name, that's just silly. If they want to change your book title, that's an entirely different story.

[maestrowork]

I thought about using a pen name, but then I thought: Darnit, I want people to know I wrote this darn thing.

[Susan Gable]

[QUOTE=katiemac]Nicole, I have never heard a case where a publisher has asked an author to change their name.

You have now. :-) My publisher had the same concern I did - that my last name was hard to pronounce. The first thing my editor asked after telling me they wanted to buy the book was, "Will you take a penname?"

Now, granted, had I refused, I don't think they could have *forced* me into taking one. But still...when you just got your toe in the door, and you agree with their reasoning...well, I wasn't crazy enough to refuse. :D


Susan G.
--------
www.susangable.com (http://www.susangable.com/)
The Pregnancy Test - Harlequin Superromance - July 2005

[Zane Curtis]

I use pen names. "Zane Curtis" is one of them -- it's the name I've decided to use on internet forums, so nothing I say here or on another board will come back to haunt me. ;)

I use yet another pen name on my novels and short stories, but for a different reason. My real name is rather common, and memorable only for its tendency to cause gender confusion. I've settled, instead, for something distinctive and unique. By unique, I mean that googling my pen name will take you straight to me, and nowhere else.

For me, choosing a unique and memorable pen name is a straight-forward business decision. Branding and product differentiation are two of the basic principles of marketing, and I'm simply choosing an effective brand name (for a writer, the by line is the brand). And yet, I find that some people react badly to the idea; it's as though they think I'm forsaking my given name. I don't know why that is. Perhaps it's an ego thing: they want to see their own name on a by line, and can't understand why anyone would willingly forego that.

[Tish Davidson]

If you have a very common name - Mary Jones, Richard Harris, Don Smith - you may want to take a pen name so that your books don't get mixed up on the shelf with already exisiting authors with similar names.

[Zane Curtis]

As for choosing a name, go and and get one of those baby name books -- you know, one of those things that expecting parents buy, along with the plush toys and baby clothes. Out of all the reference books on my shelf, Bruce Lansky's 10,000 Baby Names is the most useful. It's good, not only for choosing your pen name, but also for naming characters.

[reph]

My publisher had the same concern I did - that my last name was hard to pronounce.

"Gable" is hard to pronounce?

Hee-hee.

[maestrowork]

OK, serious question: Do you think "Raymond K Wong" is too common?

[reph]

Not really, but it would be without the K.

You might try googling it and variations (e.g., "Ray Wong") to see how many come up, or go to a bookstore and look at the W shelf in your genre.

[mdin]

I have an author friend who changed her (first) name because her publisher requested it of her. Their thinking was her name was not 'serious' sounding enough. She did it, and now people call her by her pen name.

I've written under three different names, and one of them is female. I only use my real name for book-length fiction.

[maestrowork]

Reph, I don't think there are too many authors with my name (in the US market anyway). I know when I go to IMDB there are at least five or six people with my name (but not the middle K). But I can't really think of any author with my name -- not even the last name... So I guess I'm okay?

[katiemac]

Susan, you learn something new everyday.


But, Nicole, I wouldn't be too worried about something like this in your case. I've met a few people with your last name, and I believe there's an actor (the star of the book-turned Disney movie a couple of summers ago) with the last name as well. Come to think of it, his first name is rather unusual. Point being, Nicole, I think you're in the clear.

[reph]

You're okay as far as I'm concerned. The K is distinctive. The problem, if any, would be that there are a tremendous lot of Wongs.

Somehow, James Jones did all right.

[katiemac]

And Dan Brown... and Dale Brown. Their covers even look alike in small paperback versions, sitting side by side on the shelf.

[Susan Gable]

"Gable" is hard to pronounce?

Hee-hee.

LOL - No, silly. That's why I'm writing under it. The actual last name is Guadagno. :eek: And after years of listening to telemarketers and others mangle it in an effort to pronounce it...well, Gable is so much easier. :-)

Susan G.
--------
www.susangable.com (http://www.susangable.com/)
The Pregnancy Test - Harlequin Superromance - July 2005

[Mistook]

My real last name is Melody, and over the decade that I was in a band and otherwise active as a musician, everybody thought it was a stage name.

The equivalent would be writing under the pen name "Patrick Dialogue".

[katdad]

CW, I forgot to mention this before --

I once wrote articles for a monthly slick local magazine. Some were "consumer fraud" investigative articles, and for those, I used a pen name, for obvious reasons. Some of the stuff we investigated was related to gambling, prostitution, and other things connected to organized crime.

And one time, I wrote a long article about going to a nudist camp for the weekend. This was in my home town and my folks were still alive, so I used a pen name for that article, too.

I myself didn't care but I didn't want my folks embarrassed. Myself, I had pretty thick skin (which of course was great for mosquito protection that weekend).

[katdad]

I love my born last name .... etc
My own name, "Sam Waas", works great for my mystery novels, as it turns out, since it's short and easily remembered. I could of course use "Rick Stern" or some equally manly pseudonym but I think I'll stick with the original.

[NicoleJLeBoeuf]

Many thanks for the vote of confidence - reading this thread, I was getting a little uneasy!

[JanaLanier]

How about a pen name like "Stephanie King" or "Dora Roberts?" ;)

Seriously, I'm planning to publish under a pen name because my last name looks like a typo. I've even had people say, "are you sure?" when I've spelled it for them. That's why I picked Jana Lanier (doesn't it have a nice sound to it?)

[Kasey Mackenzie]

I plan to use a pen name to help protect my privacy (hopefully), because it's a lot easier to pronounce than my married last name, and because I like it. The first name is in honor of a family member, and the last name is in honor of my Irish roots as well as being a name I really like.

[pdr]

Just be sure how a pen name affects your copyright privileges.

In most of the British Commonwealth you need to make sure that the pen name is legally attached to your birth certificate name or you will have problems leaving your copyright to your heirs. Talk to your friendly solicitor who understands these things.

[Puddle Jumper]

My real last name is Melody, and over the decade that I was in a band and otherwise active as a musician, everybody thought it was a stage name.

The equivalent would be writing under the pen name "Patrick Dialogue".

I've had people tell me that my real name sounds like a movie star. :) However, I think it would sound dorky on a book cover. I love my last name though, so if I ever get published, I plan to keep it. I'd probably come up with some other first initials though.

[Writing Again]

The attitude of the place and time when I started writing was that it was not a manly thing to do, even the writing of adventure yarns was suspect. When I became intrigued with the idea of writing romance fiction I did not even dare use a pen name lest the truth be discovered and come back to haunt me, so I wrote them under my mother's name. Thus my mother became a published author who never discussed her hobby unless pressed, and even then did so with touching modesty.

Interestingly her being a writer made it more acceptable that I should want to write although it was generally agreed that had I had a strong father figure in the house he would have whipped that nonsense right out of me.

[fallenangelwriter]

I think we've touched on most of the common reasons for pen names:


Too boring: John Johnson

Not boring enough: Anaxagors theophilus pancake

Too confusing: Dora Roberts

Desire for the public not to know who you really are

just because you can.


for my part, i have an unusual first name and a last name that starts with "a" and is pretty common, so I think i have a perfect name. prime shelf space (hopefully) and an intriguing first name.

[Pthom]

I've been told that "prime shelf space" is in the middle...the H through N area...and my last name starts with a P.

sigh.

[Jewel101]

How about Jewel Stone? hehehe

[Note On]

I've been told that "prime shelf space" is in the middle...the H through N area....

There's not really such thing as "prime shelf space." Every store is a little different.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned one of the most common reasons for taking on a pen name, which is that your last book didn't sell well and you don't want Barnes & Noble to know this is the same author.

[mudflat_marsh_hawk]

Prime shelf space -- Ideally you want your books at eye level to the customer. not on top shelf and not on bottom.

Course with all the different venues of bookstores, that's a tough one to accommodate. Not to mention...height of customer.

[Jamesaritchie]

There's not really such thing as "prime shelf space." Every store is a little different.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned one of the most common reasons for taking on a pen name, which is that your last book didn't sell well and you don't want Barnes & Noble to know this is the same author.

The most common reason is writing in more than one genre, and/or having written books that give readers an expectation of what they will get when they buy your next one.

I've known a scant handful of writers who went to pen names because their orginal name didn't sell, but not many. It seldom works well, anyway. You hear about it often, but few writers get anywhere this way, and I dont think it's nearly as common as many believe. And odds are, Barnes & Noble (Or their distributors) will know who's behind the pen name.

It used to be you could hide such information, but it's very difficult to do now.

But I've known dozens and dozens of writers who use pen names because they write in more than one genre. I use several pen names, and this is why.

Pen names can also be used because the writer's real name is something very long and unpronouncable, or because he want shis real name kept private, or he wants to save his real name for a different type of writing, or his employers wouldn't like seeing his name on genre novels, etc. But far and away the most common reason is writing in more than one genre.

I'd say the second most common reason is simply new writers not liking the sound of their real name.

[zizban]

My last name begins with T and I write fantasy, so I'll get shelved near Tolkien and Weis, not bad company to be in.

[Docknboatlift]

All right!

All kinds of answers if a body will just root around fer em a bit.

Thanks

And I want to use a pen name so I wont have to discuss certain youthful adventures that have already cast a pall over any plans for public office.

[Note On]

The most common reason is writing in more than one genre, and/or having written books that give readers an expectation of what they will get when they buy your next one.

I've known a scant handful of writers who went to pen names because their orginal name didn't sell, but not many.

I know about the same number for each of those reasons.

You're right that it's hard to hide, but I'm not sure much effort is made to hide it. My guess is B&N's inventory system doesn't link pen names to actual names. So even though mystery readers know that so-and-so is actually so-and-so, I'm not sure the information reaches the ordering system.

That's just speculation on my part. However, I do know that B&N treats an author essentially as a brand, so I don't know that they care who's actually who. The product package (the book) has the brand on it (the author's name). A new brand means they can't necessarily extrapolate orders of a new book from numbers of past sales.

Yes, I can poke holes in the idea too--but that's how bean-counters think: Smith sold 3 copies per store of his last book, so order 3 copies of his new one, and don't reorder when they sell out.

Which is not meant as an argument at all; your experience may be more typical than mine. In my experience, though, changing names to "change brands" is common enough to mention it in this thread.

[Jaws]

The most common reason is writing in more than one genre, and/or having written books that give readers an expectation of what they will get when they buy your next one.
This certainly isn't accurate in either serious nonfiction or literary fiction.

In approximate and estimated order of prevalence:
Publisher demand for image or sales purposes (the female pseudonym for male romance authors; hiding of past poor sales; ethnic authenticity; avoidance of confusion with a competitor's author; ghostwriting)
Maintenance of singular author identity after a name change (marriage, divorce, etc.)
Privacy and career protection (e.g., the sociology professor who doesn't want it known that she writes bodice-rippers)
Maintenance of distinct identities for different kinds of books, particularly with different publishers and/or work ownerships (e.g., use one name for WFH and one for "own" novels/other books)
Whimsy
Of course, there are other reasons, too; but these are the ones that appear often enough in my work and research to be worth classifying.

[maestrowork]

I was tempted to use "Harry Palm" as my psuedonym...

[Zolah]

I thought about using a pen name, but then I thought: Darnit, I want people to know I wrote this darn thing.

I toyed with the idea of a pen-name (because, heck, it's a fun idea) but then I realised that it was MY name I wanted to see on the book cover. Did I really slave over a hot laptop for all those years to see some up-start pseudonym take the credit? Plus, your aunt Bessie might never believe you if you try to tell her that Bunter F. Smoot is really you...

[Elincoln]

Here's an interesting reason:

My pen name is actually my real name. I know your saying, "Then it's not a pen name." Hear me out.

Lincoln is my Maiden name (yes, it is). When I got married, I decided to keep writing under it. I had been writing stories since grade school and to change over to my married name might confuse some people who are waiting for my work to get published. I am very proud of my family's name and this way it stays alive. Besides, my married name has never been written or spoken correctly in my presence, ever. At least with Lincoln, I can say, "Like the President" and people here get it.

-Elaine

[Maryn]

OK, serious question: Do you think "Raymond K Wong" is too common?Maybe. At the least, you've got to keep the "K."

It might amuse you to know that my WIP, begun before I started coming here, had a character named Ray Wong. I started seeing him as you and had to rechristen him.

Maryn

[Kallahan]

I was thinking of writing under a pen name, but unlike the books I write all I could think of were humorous. Richard M. Nixon, Biggus Dickus, ect. However I may yet need one as my real name is exceedingly dull. Ryan Smith, hows that for a common name?

Of course I suppose I could use Kallahan. Its been a bit of a moniker for a while now.

[James D. Macdonald]

"What's your name?"

"309572."

"Is that your real name?"

"No, it's my pen name."

====================

Why was the little drop of ink crying?

His daddy was in the pen and he didn't know how long the sentence was.

[DiscoDan]

----QUESTION-----

Are single names allowed in the literary world? I mean, names like Cher, Madonna, etc. I believe the only author I've seen with a single name is Avi. I've considered using a single name, but I'm afraid that's something to be avoided in the literary biz.

[oswann]

----QUESTION-----

Are single names allowed in the literary world? I mean, names like Cher, Madonna, etc. I believe the only author I've seen with a single name is Avi. I've considered using a single name, but I'm afraid that's something to be avoided in the literary biz.




I'm pretty sure it depends, if you plan to put the word disco before the name or not. Ask your agent beforehand. If I remember rightly Hemingway rejected DiscoErnie, but I could be wrong.



















Oh, I'm just having fun, give me a break.
Os.

[KTC]

I'm pretty sure it depends, if you plan to put the word disco before the name or not. Ask your agent beforehand. If I remember rightly Hemingway rejected DiscoErnie, but I could be wrong.




hahahahahahahaha!

After reading the above passage I considered the possibility that I had entered the Twilight Zone. But I did not see any signposts. Though, if you do enter the Twilight Zone, do you actually see the signposts, or are they visible only to the veiwers at home?

















Oh, I'm just having fun, give me a break.
Os.[/QUOTE]

[Note On]

Why was the little drop of ink crying?

His daddy was in the pen and he didn't know how long the sentence was.

Isn't this cause for banning?

[Richard]

At the very least, a slap around the face with a wet haddock.

[MadScientistMatt]

----QUESTION-----

Are single names allowed in the literary world? I mean, names like Cher, Madonna, etc. I believe the only author I've seen with a single name is Avi. I've considered using a single name, but I'm afraid that's something to be avoided in the literary biz.

There's Zane. And National Geographic has a staff writer named Reza, although I think he comes from a country where people only have one name.

[Richard White]

At the very least, a slap around the face with a wet haddock.

No, no, make him chop down the tallest tree in the forest . . .

. . . with a herring.

[Richard]

This is so close to a fish-pun thread now. We're skating on thin ice, but I will salmon up the energy not to...

...DAMN!

[RosettaStone]

How would a pen name affect publicity (for those of you choosing to write under a different name in order for privacy)? Would you still put your photo at the back of the book? Would you do book signings or give talks to prospective writers/students, etc? Basically, how much privacy are you willing to give up in order to make your work known?

[AncientEagle]

This is so close to a fish-pun thread now. We're skating on thin ice, but I will salmon up the energy not to...

...DAMN!

Sorry I didn't read these posts this morning. Would like to have participated. If it weren't so late right now, I'd try a pun myself, just for the halibut.

[DiscoDan]

I'm pretty sure it depends, if you plan to put the word disco before the name or not. Ask your agent beforehand. If I remember rightly Hemingway rejected DiscoErnie, but I could be wrong.

Lol, I don't plan on using DiscoDan as my author name..

So I'm guessing it is okay, just something most people don't do?

[oswann]

Lol, I don't plan on using DiscoDan as my author name..

So I'm guessing it is okay, just something most people don't do?



Write the best book you can and worry about it after.




Os.

[NeuroFizz]

I received some advice on this--don't know if it's good or not. If one writes in more than one genre, and establishes a following in one, it's wise to submit/publish in the others under pen names. Unfortunately, I can't remember the reasoning behind it. Can anyone reason this one through, or reject it? (By the way, what's the pleural of genre? I had to jack around my sentences to avoid using the pleural. "Genres" doesn't roll off the tongue, or the fingers.)

[James D. Macdonald]

Reason for writing unde various names if you write in various genres is so that your readers (who are looking for a certain kind of book) will get the kind of book they're looking for when they pull yours from the shelf.

[NeuroFizz]

Thanks JDM. And when you write "genres" it looks much better than when I write it.

[Project nachonaco]

Hope it's okay that I bumped up the thread...

I'm not sure what pen name I want to use. As I have told about my novel on several online communities and am very protective of my identity, using my real name (even just my first name) is out of the question.

My choices are either:
Ann Ohn (sort of a weird pronounciation of 'unknown')
Zeki Smart (Zeki is Turkish for smart)

[Mike Martyn]

This is so close to a fish-pun thread now. We're skating on thin ice, but I will salmon up the energy not to...

...DAMN!

Go ahead, just for the halibut.

[aruna]

Nicole, I have never heard a case where a publisher has asked an author to change their name. They don't care what your name is. It's up to the author if it should be named... and quite honestly if you do find that one publisher who wants you to change your name, that's just silly. If they want to change your book title, that's an entirely different story.

In my case, they did ask me.
The last name under which I first intended to write is Westmaas. It's my maiden name, an old Dutch name with an interesting history. They asked me to change it becuase it begins with W which they told me is always placed near the bottoms of bookshelves in the stores. Also, they thought Westmaas might not be memorable enough.

As a first time author I was extremely docile and willing to do everything they asked, so I agreed. We discussed various names to which I have a connection, eg my mother's maiden name, my father's mother's name. Finally we chose "Maas". So that became my pen name.

However, after three books I am starting again and when (if!) I find a publisher I'm going to suggest going with Westmaas again. Since Maas wasn't all that successful I imagine they'd be willing. I like it; it has a history and it's pretty rare.

I've also considered West Maas and West-Maas. That's so that readers who already know me as Maas can make the connection.

I'd love some feedback onthis decision. Other than the shelf-placement issue; do you find Westnaas difficult to note? (Some people spell it Westmass, and Westman, and Westmas)? What about splitting it up?

All comments welcome!

(re the original quoted comment: I thinl they do care - they like you to have a "marketable" name. Is my experience.)

[scribbler1382]

They thought Westmaas might not be memorable enough?!

Farking morons.

[Pencilone]

I think I read in a magazine about an author using "Anonymous"...

:popcorn:

[Sarita]

They thought Westmaas might not be memorable enough?! It reminds me of Christmas. I'd remember it.

[Christine N.]

I'll be right in the middle of the shelves, but probably near the bottom. Norris. I could use my mother's maiden name. How many of you can pronounce this - Gonserkevis ?


LOL, just kidding. No, that's really my mother's maiden name, but I wouldn't use it. I write for kids, they have enough problems.

[aruna]

They thought Westmaas might not be memorable enough?!

Farking morons.

I agree. God, I was SO naive back then.

[batgirl]

I know this is a really trivial point (priorities - finish book, find publisher, find agent, being the important things) but it does worry me.
My co-author has a terrific name, in my opinion, short and memorable and her surname begins with E. Her name would go first, I'm all in favour of that.
My name, while I'm fond of it for family reasons (Barbara was my grandmother's name, and her mother's name, and ....) has a couple of problems. There's a well-known Canadian author with the same name, who, blast it, has started writing genre (mysteries). And it's the name of Batgirl.

Does B.M.L. Gordon sound okay? For historical fantasy? It looks like a mystery writer's name to me.
-Barbara (being really insecure here, yes, I know)

[MMWyrm]

I always planned on using a pen name.

I have a nitty-gritty question about them though. When you are preparing your manuscript, I've read that you are supposed to put your name, the name of the book, and the page number at the top of every page. Do you put your real name or your pen name?

[WVWriterGirl]

I've debated the use of a pen name as well - my first name has been mispronounced and misspelled my entire life - I've been called Lilly, Linney, Lizzy, Leslie...I could go on for an hour. I've considered L. Beth <lastname>; that way, it's still me, but it's easier to pronounce and remember.

I don't know what I'll do if I branch out into another genre, perhaps take a different name altogether, or use my maiden name, or my mother's maiden name. It'll still be identifiable with me by those who know me personally, but different enough to set apart the different genres.

[victoria.goddard]

For me the problem is mostly that by the time my book is finished (all going well with the dream--though I still have four years before I start looking for jobs), I shall be starting out wanting to do a professional career as an academic. I've been wondering how foolish it is to write fantasy novels under my own name when I am well on my way to becoming a professor of Medieval Studies . . . Although I'm using my own name at the moment for discussions like this, I may end up with a penname for that reason.

Then again I do definitely want to have my name there on the cover and on the shelf (and hey, I'd be by the various Goldmans and -smiths and -ings, and Terry Goodkind and not too far from Neil Gaiman, so that's not bad) . . . But perhaps the secret knowledge that X is really me might be even better . . .

[aruna]

PS, edit: Hmmm. I posted this before reading the whole thread and just realised I've answered it before. So excuse me for saying it all again!

[QUOTE=katiemac]Nicole, I have never heard a case where a publisher has asked an author to change their name.

You have now. :-) My publisher had the same concern I did - that my last name was hard to pronounce. The first thing my editor asked after telling me they wanted to buy the book was, "Will you take a penname?"



Same here, Susan.
Originally I wanted to write under my maiden name, Westmaas. I love this name. It has history; there is only one family by that name in Guyana, and it's well known there because my dad and a couple of my uncles were prmionent in politics. Also, it's an old Dutch name and has to do with the country's history etc.

However, at my very first meeting at the publishers everybody (editor, people from sales and marketing etc) thought I should change it; it was too "difficult", forgettable etc. Well I know it's difficult. People spell it wrong all the time, with two s's instead of two a's etc.
The other reason is that W authors are always placed on the bottom shelves. They wanted me to have a name beginning with a mid-alphabet letter.

I was a very compliant author at that stage and I agreed; we went througy a couple other names, mother's maiedn name etc, but decided to just take the second part of that name, which still sounds unusual but is easy.

I actually always regretted taking a pen name. I'm considering, if I ever get published again, to go with the name I originally wanted. It might even make commercial sense.

And right now at my local bookshop M is on the bottom shelf and W is in the middle.

[aruna]

There's not really such thing as "prime shelf space." Every store is a little different.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned one of the most common reasons for taking on a pen name, which is that your last book didn't sell well and you don't want Barnes & Noble to know this is the same author.

See my last post, re "prime shelf space". ANd I was just about to mention the "last book not selling well" reason.

[Mac H.]

When Isaac Asimov sold his first story, it was suggested that he might want to write under a more common name like 'John Davies'.

A couple of decades later and many people assume that 'Isaac Asimov' must be a pseudonym because it is such an great unique sound to it.

Fashions change.

Mac

[Shadow_Ferret]

I have a question and rather than starting a whole new thread for my own egotistical needs, I thought I'd just hijack this one.


If say you choose a penname underwhich to write your fiction and keep your real name for mundane tasks, like paying the bills, if you're lucky (or unlucky) enough to go on a signing, do you then sign the books at the penname? Do you have to keep up a public farce that your name is the penname?

In effect, for all intents and purposes, do you BECOME the penname I guess is what I"m asking?

If that is the case, I'd better start practicing how to sign that name nicely, just to "be prepared" as the Boy Scouts say. :)

[maestrowork]

Sign with whatever name you're writing under... if you're Mark Twain (that, of course, wasn't his real name), then sign it Mark Twain. Now, of course, if you're a celebrity (Nora Roberts) and everyone knows who you are (real name, etc.) then it's silly to sign your pen name (JD Robbs, etc.).

I think it really depends on you. Do you want to from now on be known as Mark Twain, or are you still Nora Roberts but you just like to write under a pen name once in a while? It becomes a separate issue when you do book signings -- and I have no definitive answer for that.

That's why I don't use pen names, and if I ever do, and I'll have to do signings, I'll still go by my real name because hopefully I'll be a celebrity by then. :)

[Shadow_Ferret]

I'll have to practice signing the name. My own signature is atrocious. :)

[banjo]

LOL - No, silly. That's why I'm writing under it. The actual last name is Guadagno. :eek: And after years of listening to telemarketers and others mangle it in an effort to pronounce it...well, Gable is so much easier. :-)

Susan G.
--------
www.susangable.com (http://www.susangable.com/)
The Pregnancy Test - Harlequin Superromance - July 2005


Some telemarketers can mangle Smith. Especially if their origin in somewhere overseas.

[maestrowork]

Wong is my last name. It's ethnic, but so am I. There's no fooling anyone that I'm a "Roberts" or "Davis." And I want my family to be proud of me. Yes, it will get shelved near the bottom end... but at least I'm shelved next to Virginia Woolfe. Heh!

[majiklmoon]

I have a question and rather than starting a whole new thread for my own egotistical needs, I thought I'd just hijack this one.


If say you choose a penname underwhich to write your fiction and keep your real name for mundane tasks, like paying the bills, if you're lucky (or unlucky) enough to go on a signing, do you then sign the books at the penname? Do you have to keep up a public farce that your name is the penname?

In effect, for all intents and purposes, do you BECOME the penname I guess is what I"m asking?

If that is the case, I'd better start practicing how to sign that name nicely, just to "be prepared" as the Boy Scouts say. :)

As I'm not famous as me, and probably never will be, I'd sign under my pen name.

[banjo]

I suspect that if we write ompelling literature we sill be discovered and paid handsomely for it. Pen names may be useful to many of us for many varied reasons but it seem to me the book is most important.

I've consideredusing pen names for different genre, but I'll cross that bridge later.

[willietheshakes]

Wong is my last name. It's ethnic, but so am I. There's no fooling anyone that I'm a "Roberts" or "Davis." And I want my family to be proud of me. Yes, it will get shelved near the bottom end... but at least I'm shelved next to Virginia Woolfe. Heh!

And one shelf down from me...