Choosing my name

Barb D · Jan 31, 2009

My married name is short, easy to spell and pronounce, and fairly common. It's also the name of a very large publishing company and a popular computer company. (One guess what it is!) Google it or search for it on amazon, and you'll find all kinds of stuff.

My maiden name is longer, harder to spell and pronounce, and uncommon. If I were to be published, I would probably be at the top of google or amazon search results.

I'm very tempted to use my maiden name just to make it stand out a bit more. But it is harder to spell and pronounce.

WWYD? I'm almost ready to start sending out to agents, so I need to make a decision.

Crinklish · Jan 31, 2009

Don't think search engine results, think distracted parent ducking into the bookstore before leaving on vacation. "Hi, I was reading about a book that I want. The author was a Barbara...Barbara...what was her last name?" You want it to be easy to remember, recall and spell. The unusual name won't roll so trippingly off the tongue. Unless your first name is Barnes and your last name is Noble, I'd go with the familiar last name. Or just go by "Smith."

Matera the Mad · Jan 31, 2009

Barbara Middlename Last?

GirlWithPoisonPen · Jan 31, 2009

Barb, what name you use will ultimately be up to your publishing house. You can suggest something, but they might opt for something different.

Kats · Feb 1, 2009

I would go with maiden name, more unique and easier to Google. Palahniuk (as in Chuck) is hard to pronounce and spell, but doesn't seem to have caused him many problems!

RobJ · Feb 1, 2009

Barb, you should have thought about this when you got married

Whichever name you opt for, good luck.

Cheers,
Rob

Barb D · Feb 1, 2009

RobJ said:
Barb, you should have thought about this when you got married

Whichever name you opt for, good luck.

Cheers,
Rob

Hey, I did! I've been married for 26 years, since before the computer company existed. And I was just happy to not have to spell and correct the pronunciation of my name any more! (It's Scottish, but looks French, and that's the way people try to pronounce it.)

Scribhneoir · Feb 1, 2009

I voted for Barbara MaidenName Last because I think that would be more distinct and more interesting than plain Barbara ComputerCompany.

Which name would give you a more advantageous spot on the shelf?

Barb D · Feb 2, 2009

Scribhneoir said:
I voted for Barbara MaidenName Last because I think that would be more distinct and more interesting than plain Barbara ComputerCompany.

Which name would give you a more advantageous spot on the shelf?

My maiden name starts with a Q, which would mean far fewer other Q books to search through.

Lyra Jean · Feb 3, 2009

Go with something easy. Whenever I go to customer service and have them look up a book for me they want to know the author's first and last name. I know at Books-A-Million they can't look up the book by title which seems silly to me.

Choosing my name

Which name?

Barbara Last

Barbara MaidenName

Barbara MaidenName Last

Something Else

Barb D

Crinklish

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

GirlWithPoisonPen

Mata Hari

Kats

RobJ

Barb D

Scribhneoir

Reinventing Myself

Barb D

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.