What's in a name?
A pen name, pseudonym, nome de plume, or literary double isan assumed name used by a writer instead of their real or legal name.
Reasons to use a Pen Name
Writing in Multiple Genres - The most common use of pen names todayis by established authors who don’t want to aggravate their base readership byproducing novels outside their established genre. Examples include Nora Robertswho uses JD Robb to pen her suspense novels and Jessica Byrd who changed hername to JR Ward to publish her highlysuccessful dark suspense The Black DaggerBrotherhood series.
Switching Publishers- Perhaps you have an exclusivity deal with apublisher under your current name, butyou have a project they aren’t as excited to publish as you are. Using a penname would allow you to take that work to another publisher or even self-publish.
Anonymity- Maybe you just want some privacy or a strict separation between your personal andprofessional life. Much like in the past, many authors have day jobs orpositions within their community that would be negatively impacted by theirchoice of writing. There have been several cases in the news about teachers whowere fired or shut out of their community because it was found they wroteerotica or dark romance.
Name too common or complicated- Becoming an author has been madeeasier than ever with the rise of free self-publishing platforms. Standing outamongst the millions is even harder if you have a common name like John Smithor Mary Johnson. In this case, you wantto choose a name that will help distinguish you from all the rest. On the flip side, if you have a long first or last name ora name with more consonants than vowels, you may stand out negatively. Hard to pronounce names mean lessword of mouth recommendations and if your name is too long it might not fitneatly on your covers.
Things to consider when choosing a Pen Name
The similarity to famous Authors- You might think it a greatidea to choose a pen name like JP Rawling or James Peterson, but it can actually hurt your ability to sell. The literary world is full of diehardfans who will gladly pan your work and spam your books with negative reviews indefense of their favorite authors.
Does the name you chose fit with your chosen genre- A name like SlyNyx will be more widely accepted amongst Paranormal Romance, and Fantasy readers than Historical fiction.
Can be a variation of your real name- If you aren’t feelingparticularly creative or have a name “issue” as mentioned above, it isperfectly okay to shorten your name how you see fit. It will also make filingyour taxes easier since it is still technically your legal name. Example, Elizabeth Marie Johnson could becomeEliza Mar or E.M. Johns.
Position on Brick & Mortar Shelves- A much-overlooked factor in choosing a pen name. Depending on the number of items in stock a name towards the end of the alphabet like S-Z is more likely to fall on bottom shelves andaway from the valuable eye-level shelfspace key to grabbing reader’s attention.
Need a little helpcoming up with a name? Check out these fun pen name generators!