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- Oct 27, 2017
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I'm writing a novel (my first go at full-length fiction) and at this rate it will be ready to send out to agents by January. I'm wondering whether to use a pseudonym or not. I'm an academic and I've written a few journal articles and a book based on my research, with a second book to follow. These are under my own name, obviously. I've also published a candid memoir/self-help guide about life with a disability, which has sold pretty well. From what I've read online, many publishers prefer you to take a pseudonym if your work spans multiple genres. I can see the rationale behind that, as it doesn't make commercial sense for your novel to be buried amidst your scholarly output on wombat reproduction in the Amazon listings, but I can also see advantages in just having one author profile to maintain. Has anyone been in a similar position, and what did you find was best?
I'm also curious about privacy. Writing a novel feels like the most personal thing I've ever done, which is a bit strange, considering that in my self-help book I wrote frankly about everything from uncooperative bowel movements to the awkwardness of navigating first crushes as a special needs kid. Part of me wants to use a pseudonym just to give myself a little more space, but I'm not sure how effective a pseudonym would be in achieving that.
(Wombat reproduction isn't the actual subject of my research, just in case anyone was wondering!)
I'm also curious about privacy. Writing a novel feels like the most personal thing I've ever done, which is a bit strange, considering that in my self-help book I wrote frankly about everything from uncooperative bowel movements to the awkwardness of navigating first crushes as a special needs kid. Part of me wants to use a pseudonym just to give myself a little more space, but I'm not sure how effective a pseudonym would be in achieving that.
(Wombat reproduction isn't the actual subject of my research, just in case anyone was wondering!)