I know this has been addressed in previous threads but the answers just leave me confused.
In other genres pen-names are used all the time and it seems very rare that anyone has a problem with this. Why does all the advice about using a pen-name for a memoir seem to say it’s impossible? Or are the nay-sayers referring more to calling the author anonymous rather than using a pen-name? If you say it's by "anonymous" I can see that could create a mystery that makes some people want to find out what must be a juicy secret (they assume), but if you use a pen-name is it really an issue?
I've read: It’s difficult to remain anonymous in today’s world. If your memoir is published and becomes even moderately successful then it is highly likely that your true identity will be revealed. Changing names won't protect you. Using a pseudonym won't protect you.
Can anyone support or squash this claim with real facts? How does it come out? Do publishers give away the real identity to maximize their profits or do they put your ID on some readily available website? Do they not have any obligation to keep your ID secret? Could it not be part of the contract that they do?
If you tell your friends and/or family about your memoir I can see it might get out, but discounting that are there other ways my identity will likely come out?
I read that when J.K.Rowling tried to publish under a pseudonym her lawyer leaked the info – but I can’t see anyone bothering to leak the real name of a completely unknown nobody. If a memoir is written by a nobody about nobody famous and not about any known event, why would anybody really care whether the author’s name is really Jane or Jennifer or Esmeralda?
In other genres pen-names are used all the time and it seems very rare that anyone has a problem with this. Why does all the advice about using a pen-name for a memoir seem to say it’s impossible? Or are the nay-sayers referring more to calling the author anonymous rather than using a pen-name? If you say it's by "anonymous" I can see that could create a mystery that makes some people want to find out what must be a juicy secret (they assume), but if you use a pen-name is it really an issue?
I've read: It’s difficult to remain anonymous in today’s world. If your memoir is published and becomes even moderately successful then it is highly likely that your true identity will be revealed. Changing names won't protect you. Using a pseudonym won't protect you.
Can anyone support or squash this claim with real facts? How does it come out? Do publishers give away the real identity to maximize their profits or do they put your ID on some readily available website? Do they not have any obligation to keep your ID secret? Could it not be part of the contract that they do?
If you tell your friends and/or family about your memoir I can see it might get out, but discounting that are there other ways my identity will likely come out?
I read that when J.K.Rowling tried to publish under a pseudonym her lawyer leaked the info – but I can’t see anyone bothering to leak the real name of a completely unknown nobody. If a memoir is written by a nobody about nobody famous and not about any known event, why would anybody really care whether the author’s name is really Jane or Jennifer or Esmeralda?