pen name

A pen name, or pseudonym, is just a name you choose for yourself that will allow you some privacy (if you become famous), some anonymity (if you cross over to other genres or want to submit to a different genre, or even write in a racy genre--i.e. erotica), and/or credibility (if the agency thinks it would add some clout to your writing, in a sense) This last one, is sometimes the case when women write stereotyped "men's" writing (not so much of a problem any more, I think, but I'm not sure. S.E. Hinton, a female writer, wrote The Outsiders, which was about gangs and turf wars and her agent made her use a pseudonym to gain more readership)

A pen name is like this, it's like a secret identity.
Like Bruce Wayne is known as Batman in public.

I was not born Herman Munster.
He was an early 60's TV star, played by Fred Gwynne actually, it was in B&W, ask mum and dad or your Gran what THAT means!

BlueLucario said:

A pen name is like this, it's like a secret identity.
Like Bruce Wayne is known as Batman in public.

Click to expand...

No. Bruce Wayne is known as Bruce Wayne to the public, and Batman is known as Batman. xP

One of the more recent ones is J.K. Rowling, who was asked by her publisher to substitute her first name (Joanne). She chose "J.K." the K being for Kathleen (her grandmother's name). They believed that young boys would be reluctant to buy children's fantasy from a woman writer. On the other extreme, it is common for men to use pen names when writing romance and such.

I think the most common reason is just that some people's last names are just not print worthy.

TTCleveland said:

One of the more recent ones is J.K. Rowling, who was asked by her publisher to substitute her first name (Joanne). She chose "J.K." the K being for Kathleen (her grandmother's name). They believed that young boys would be reluctant to buy children's fantasy from a woman writer. On the other extreme, it is common for men to use pen names when writing romance and such.

I think the most common reason is just that some people's last names are just not print worthy.

Click to expand...

I'd certainly like a pen-name. I hate my name.

And people are saying that pen-names are bad. But not sure why.

I don't recall anyone saying pen names were bad. Some people said they wouldn't use one (and people have their own reasons for using one or not), but no one said they were bad.

You must go to a special person who can make it up for you. And you must give this person all your banking and credit card information.... I am one of those special people



Please don't tempt me with obvious open doors like this. I can't help myself.

My name sounds very similar to a model/actress (an older one, but she's still out there), I also have people I don't want seeing a book on a shelf and going "I know her... where's that phone number!" So I gave myself a new name based on my nickname.

I was thinking of using a pen name for my fiction.

I call my pen "Bic".

He seems to like it.

ETA: He calls me smarta$$.

Something he picked up from my wife, no doubt.

My name is Hugh G. Rection, but I feared people on this site would not respect a Welsh name, so I selected vrabinec instead. Whatever.

i think that suggestion goes in another thread....

and because I care, I link
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140420