Help me pick my writing name!

Status
Not open for further replies.

True North

Chief Servant of Queen Lilo!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Messages
88
Reaction score
16
Location
Calgary, AB
I'm trying to decide on my writing name. Let me know which names you like.

Lisamarie Johnston (my actual name)
Nola Sinclair
Leanne Wolfe
Breanna MacTavish

Or, if you don't like any of those any gaelic, scottish or irish names with either Sinclair, Wolfe or MacTavish. Sinclair and MacTavish have family connections to me and Wolfe I just like :)
 

maggieuc

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
215
Reaction score
34
Location
OH
I'm trying to decide on my writing name. Let me know which names you like.

Lisamarie Johnston (my actual name)
Nola Sinclair
Leanne Wolfe
Breanna MacTavish

Or, if you don't like any of those any gaelic, scottish or irish names with either Sinclair, Wolfe or MacTavish. Sinclair and MacTavish have family connections to me and Wolfe I just like :)

Use your real name! Don't you want the credit for writing the book?
 

WendyNYC

fiddle-dee-dee
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
2,371
Reaction score
1,765
Location
Behind you! Boo.
Your real name is nice. I'd use that. If you want a different name, I liked Nola Sinclair. Was not wild about Breanna.
 

Aglaia

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
309
Reaction score
88
Location
Michigan
What genre do you write in? And is there a reason you're considering using a pen name instead of your own name?
 

maggieuc

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
215
Reaction score
34
Location
OH
My mom's name is Nola, and I've never met anyone who loved their own name more :D
 

jkcates

Who's the Master?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
85
Reaction score
7
Location
Right here..., I think
Well, you could always opt for the J.K. Rowlings method and use initials with just a last name. That way people would be REALLY wondering who you were.
Maybe L.J. Sinclair

Just a few cents worth
 

ideagirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Messages
1,039
Reaction score
143
I like Nola Sinclair. But, what genre are you writing in?
 

CBumpkin

I can do this...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
353
Reaction score
72
Location
Yet to be decided.
It's fun to dream about what pseudonym we'd use, but, for most of us, that's putting the cart before the horse. Write the book first, then worry about the name.

If a writer is using a pseudonym, it doesn't even come into play until after the writer is made an offer of representation. Once you have an agent, s/he -- and later the editor -- may have a say in the matter. (Just as they do with the title of your darling novel.) They know marketability and may not like what you've chosen and ask you to change it. In which case they'll make suggestions, usually based on your real name.

A successful formula for pseudonyms, according to the publishing world, is a first name with two syllables and a last name with one syllable. That matches your suggestion using "Leanne Wolfe," which gets my vote for a pseudonym, if you use one. (Don't choose one lightly, either. There are a lot of things to be considered when picking one.)

As a reader, I hate author names with initials. J.K. Rowling and J.A. Konrath just to name a couple. I don't hate the authors or their work, I just hate it when authors use initials instead of an actual name. To me, it sounds pretentious, like going by one name (Madonna, Cher, etc.,). But, even then, I prefer those to silly, ridiculous names like rappers have.
 

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
29,138
Reaction score
8,563
Location
Toronto
Website
ktcraig.com
Why not L.M. Johnston? I really like initials for some reason.
 

Arisa81

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
4,363
Reaction score
532
Location
Canada
Website
pacificpurple.blogspot.com
I like your real name but as others have mentioned you could do initials and maybe choose an alternate last name if you want.
 

BlueLucario

Blood Elves FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
2,627
Reaction score
220
Location
South Florida
As a reader, I hate author names with initials. J.K. Rowling and J.A. Konrath just to name a couple. I don't hate the authors or their work, I just hate it when authors use initials instead of an actual name. To me, it sounds pretentious, like going by one name (Madonna, Cher, etc.,). But, even then, I prefer those to silly, ridiculous names like rappers have.

The reason Rowling chose her pen name is because she didn't want readers to think that the author is a woman. Well, she got me there.

How do we know the authors just want to keep their names confidential? Hey that's why I'd choose my pen name. I hate my full name. I don't want the people I knew back in high school to know, they'll just bad mouth me.
 

Claudia Gray

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
2,918
Reaction score
604
I write under a pseudonym -- which is not the pseudonym I originally meant to write under. My agent and publisher vetoed that one. So I agree: at this point, deciding on a pseud is putting the cart before the horse. If you get too attached to one pseudonym now, and it gets vetoed, you'll feel disappointed. Wait until you're approaching publication, then run your ideas by your publisher and agent.
 

willfulone

I am a zebra...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 28, 2008
Messages
2,477
Reaction score
572
Location
where I can be found
Go to a book store and check the shelves in your genre. Look for names of best selling authors in that same genre and look where one of your listed names will fall in relation to that writer in the same area. For instance, if you write the same type of novel as S. King, you can see that your real name would fall in order closer than one of the others on your list (although one of the other names may fall close to another famous writer in the same genre and so on). If you are on the same shelf or close to someone of note, you may get a reader (like me) who goes to their favorite author first, then ransacks the whole area closest and reads all the covers for new reads/authors to buy. You could (possibly) have more people pick up and read the cover that way. In any case, it is just an idea to consider.

Good luck writing!

Christine
 

Appalachian Writer

Somewhere in the hills....
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,274
Reaction score
1,210
Location
by a mountain stream
Go to a book store and check the shelves in your genre. Look for names of best selling authors in that same genre and look where one of your listed names will fall in relation to that writer in the same area. For instance, if you write the same type of novel as S. King, you can see that your real name would fall in order closer than one of the others on your list (although one of the other names may fall close to another famous writer in the same genre and so on). If you are on the same shelf or close to someone of note, you may get a reader (like me) who goes to their favorite author first, then ransacks the whole area closest and reads all the covers for new reads/authors to buy. You could (possibly) have more people pick up and read the cover that way. In any case, it is just an idea to consider.

Good luck writing!

Christine

How very clever! :)
 

True North

Chief Servant of Queen Lilo!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Messages
88
Reaction score
16
Location
Calgary, AB
Thanks for the suggestions and votes! The one that I like best personally is Nola Sinclair.

The only reason I'm considering a pen name is because I find my name boring :p Johnston is such a common name, which is why I'd use Lisamarie. I go by Lisa, but it is a little less common by using my full first name.

That's something to consider about publishing. While I am going to be soon publishing a few magazine articles, I'm not near publication on my fiction. Perhaps it may be best to just use my name, so that all my writing is under the same name. I wouldn't want to choose a pseudonym and then have my publisher tell me it won't work and have some writing under one name and some under another!
 

Andreya

in denial
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
365
Reaction score
26
Location
Slovenia, Europe
I really like your real name too! :)

I also like Leanne MacTavish... If it's for magazine articles too, you don't want anything 'too weird' I guess... :) /unless writing for dog magazines or such, maybe 'Wolfe' could come handy there?/

There's a bunch of threads on pennames on AW already, just do a search... I'm probably gonna do a penname too (or several) - I kinda like the Amanda Quick approach - three names, for 3 different genres... (she went for 'Quick' cause she saw there were not a lot of writers under 'Q' lol - & I do think it suits the genre too, lol)

I'm thinking of writing some magazine articles too, & not sure whether to write those under a penname, & which one.. :)
Mostly to protect my identity... :) /I may still do some teaching in one of my other 'incarnations' at some point... :)/

And how do you go about presenting your penname to the magazine editors? Do you just write that name? (& have a Paypal account) - would that be taken seriously?

I've been reading Jenna's REAL living as a freelance writer, & am perplexed.. She says to put your name & address AND telephone number (!!) in the queries... I'm not from US so I'm not sure that would be best... (?) Also, I don't want my real name & real address 'out there'... (??) hmm..??

I once wrote articles for the local magazine here & said I want my stuff with initials-only. Sure, they published articles with initials-only, but they published poems & 'literary' stuff (OoO) with full name!! (very mortifying for a teenager lol!! :))

Jenna says to 'incorporate'/start a biz as soon as possible, but it may not be so easy (or convenient) in countries other than US... hmm..?

So, no idea what to do.. :) Any pointers anyone? :)
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.