Pseudonym or Real Name?

I picked pseudonym. My husband asked me not to use my real name, and that was fine with me. My editor suggested a short name, so my name can be bigger on the cover. That was the only reasoning behind my name. *g*

Are any publoshed authors actually using their real names? I assumed most didn't.

I keep my sexy fiction and serious 'faction' writing separate by using a pen name for novels.

My historicals are written under my real name - my erotic romances are written under a pen name (or they will be once I actually have time to revise and submit the WIP).

If I ever manage to get a novel published, I plan to use my real name. If for no other reason than to rub it in the face of people that told me I'd never get published.

However, if I were to get my erotic fiction published, I'll probably use a pen name...just because.

Because I also have a lit/women's fiction in the works, if I ever do get published I will use a pen name. I read on one author's web site where she said she uses 2 names- one for her regular romance and one for her steamy stuff. I would like to write for Intrigue, American, and Blaze so I figured on using a different name for Intrigue/American than for Blaze. Ahh, dreaming again...

I do everything under pseudonyms. My real name is only used by family, close friends and the place where I work. I'm just a freakishly private person.

I choose to write under a pseudonym for a few reasons: First, I'm a teacher and while I don't write steamy stuff, I wanted to keep my writing separate from my day job. Second, I kept my maiden name when I married so my pseudonym is actually my husband's last name...I wanted to pay some honor to him for being so supportive Finally, my pseudonym is also close to the beginning of the alphabet, which is a nice benefit when it comes to being on author lists, etc.

Kristie911, I used to feel that way about "showing" the world that I finally got published, but I sort of got over it. I can understand the motivation, though.

I have been toying with this since I started writing. I don't hold any feeling for making the hubby's name famous (yea....IF I ever get published) they all treat me like camel dung so screw um plus everyone pronounces it wrong. I thought about my maiden name but me and my mom have the same 1st & middle name...and people always looked at me funny for using II after it - "only guys do that". I want to use Bugg - everyone knows me as auntybug! Still have to ponder...still have to to ge accepted to worry about it!!

I've got too big an ego to use a pseudonym...

But the name you pick, if you decide to use a pen name, should be considered carefully. Our books were originally going to be published with the names in reverse order (I won the coin toss) but the publisher changed it at the last minute. The reason? C.T. Adams would show up at eye-level on the romance shelves, which is useful for a debut author. Now, between us and romsus author Cherry Adair, we take up most of a shelf in some stores.

The other thing to keep in mind the length of the name. When I was at the PAN sessions at National, one of the Levy people was talking about doing a promo where the author would come into the Levy warehouses and sign SIX THOUSAND of their books over the course of two days. The books would get special promo in the stores and overall was a terrific thing for the author. But poor Elizabeth Thornton, who wound up having to ice down her arm after the first 2,000. She commented to one of the Levy people that she should have picked a pen name like Amy Smith.

So, consider the length of the name with the thought of a line of people wrapping around the room.

Depends what you consider your real name... i use my real first name and my maidan name. Now i am putting together a YA Fantasy series and if i do write it I'll probably use a different name for that.