What's in a name? 

The pros and cons of using a pen name

Many authors feel that using a pen name is better than using their own. What are the pros and cons of doing this?

Should I Use a Pen Name?

Pseudonyms, commonly known as pen names, are fictitious names that people use in place of their legal name. For writers, using a pen name is a personal decision. Each writer who uses a pen name has his or her reasons for doing so, and those reasons are as varied as the people who use them.

The Use Of Pseudonyms And Pen Names

Have you ever wondered why a writer chooses a pseudonym or pen name? Is it possible they believe that they are more important than other writers are? Do they demonstrate their views of superiority by simply choosing to rename themselves?

A writer by any other name

Pen-names liberate authors but when their cover is blown, as it inevitably is, the outcome is not always desirable, writes Jane Sullivan.

Tips for choosing a pen name 

• Easy to remember
  If your name is TOO unique, people won't remember it. Make it easy to remember. Short, simple, and if possible, easy to associate with a physical item. For example, the last name Block. People can associate this with a building block, or block of wood. This will help them create a visual connection and remember your name.
• Easy to spell and pronounce
  If readers can't spell or pronounce your name, they can't find it online or in directories. And if they can't find your books they can't buy them!
• Appropriate for the genre
  As long as we're picking names, choose a pen name like you'd choose a character name. Your big bad crime novels shouldn't be written by a whispy, girly pen name, and vice versa.

Famous Pen Names 

Lewis Carroll aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

Author of The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, Reverend Dodgson was an English author, and also a mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman, and photographer. His pseudonym was formed from the anglicised (English) version of his real name. Lewis was the anglicised form of Ludovicus, which is Latin for Lutwidge, and Carroll was the anglicised version of Carolus, which is Latin for Charles.

Richard Bachman aka Stephen King

That's right! Even Stephen King had a pen name. Unsure his earlier or non-horror works would be popular with his real name on them, King invented Bachman. But after Bachman was discovered, King killed him off, er, issued a press release about Bachman's "death" supposedly from "cancer of the pseudonym."

George Eliot aka Mary Ann Evans

At the time novels written by men went over better than those written by women, so Evans assumed a man's name to relate better with her readers.

O. Henry aka William Sydney Porter

It was Porter's clever use of twist endings in his stories that made the term "O. Henry endings" popular.

Ann Landers aka Esther Pauline Friedman

Sister to "Dear Abby" who wrote witty and pointed syndicated advice columns.

George Orwell aka Eric Arthur Blair

Orwell was most famous for two of his works, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Dr. Seuss aka Theodore Seuss Geisel

Geisel's mother's maiden name, Seuss, is technically pronounced to rhyme with "rejoice."

Mark Twain aka Samuel Langhorne Clemens

A famous literary figure who's pen name is a nautical term.

Abigail Van Buren aka Dear Abby aka Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips

Sister of "Ann Landers" and advice columnist whose daughter took over the pen name when Pauline died.

Voltaire aka François-Marie Arouet

The name "Voltaire," which he adopted in 1718 not only as a pen name but also in daily use, is an anagram of the latinized spelling of his surname "Arovet" and the first letters of the sobriquet "le jeune" ("the younger"): AROVET Le Ieune. (Eh, it's all too complicated for me.)

Ayn Rand aka Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum

Who can blame her?

More Famous Female Authors with Pen Names 

• a lady, aka jane austen
• currer, ellis and acton bell, aka charlotte, emily and anne bronte
• a.m. barnard, aka louisa may alcott

When should you create a pen name? 

• Your name is too common or popular
  If your name is Jennifer Lopez, you might be better off picking a pen name. Ditto if your name is Bob Smith.
• Your name is the wrong "gender"
  Some literature sells better if written by a woman - romance for example. Business books sell better if written by a man. Gender neutral names can be switched to one side or the other. Joey as a woman's name can become more feminine, and Tracy as a man's name can become more masculine. (Stereotypically and socially speaking, of course.)
• No one takes your name seriously
  If your given name is Elvis or Honey, or Justin Time or Justin Case (real people I know), you've heard all the jokes there are to hear. In a formal setting, a more professional sounding name is appropriate.
• Your real name is obnoxious
  Just as you need to be able to easily spell a pen name, the same should be true of your real name. If your 13-year-old audience can't spell Kriechowski, it's time for a chance.
• You want to tone down the gender of your name
  Perhaps you very obviously have a mans name, but want to create more neutrality for the genre of your fiction. In that case you can adopt a name such as Terry, Chris, or Cameron, which could be either gender.
• You don't want your mother knowing how knowledgeable you are about steamy sex scenes
  Enough said.
• You're breaking into a new genre
  I write non-fiction under the name Kimberly Dawn Wells, so to separate myself from my fiction works, I publish those under different versions of my real name as well as pen names. This allows readers to differentiate between the different categories of books I write and publish.

What's your Pen Name? 

Do you have a pen name? Share it with us! (If you don't want anyone to know, log out of your account. You don't need to be a registered user to leave a message here.)

K. Spencer Wolf

I roleplayed alot and eventually decided to take one of the character's I rped and turn them into a character for one of my novels I am writing on. The best thing, its neutral so no one can tell if I am male or female, so no one can judge my writing by my name and gender.

Posted June 30, 2008

ElizabethJeanAllen Elizabeth Jean Allen is a pen name, yet it is my name. I was baptized Betty Jeanne Allen. My pen name is an open secret, but it draws a line between my job as a teacher and my writing career. Liz Posted May 03, 2008

Lára Rose

It's a simple name, but I like it :]

Posted April 21, 2008

Chamberdawn

Julie-
How about Julie Jasper?

>Julie Jaskierski
>Someone gimme an idea for a pen name. I need one soon. I have articles to post and i need to give them an author.

Posted November 22, 2007

Posted January 21, 2008

Gabriel Ion

Well my real name is THAT OF ANOTHER AUTHORS!!! O.O lol So I chose "Ion" as my second name (I always wanted a second name.) It's easy to remember and weird... But I wonder, does it sound a bit pretentious?

Posted January 11, 2008

 

Next Page

1 of 4 pages

Kimberly's Current Writing Picks! 

Need help getting back into the writing groove? Here are my current top picks for resources that will get you moving!



What happens when your muse has gone missing in action? Almost every writer goes through a period of writer's block at some point. Frustration can take over, causing you to lose passion for your writing. The pain is real when you stare at the blank screen or page, willing yourself to write. What is at stake for you if you aren't writing?

In as little as one hour, you can be having fun and allowing your muse to play. I would like to introduce you to Holly Lisle's How to Beat Writer's Block (And Have FUN Writing From Now On). With this mp3 audio course, Holly will take you step by step through the process of overcoming your block. In just 30 minutes, the ideas for your new story or solutions to a problem in your current project will pour across the page.

Holly is no stranger to writer's block and would like to share her methods. With her expert guidance, you will not only move past your block but will learn how to prevent the block from happening again. You will also receive commitment training, a walkthrough to get you focused on writing again, dozens of ideas, and five-minute daily coaching. The course includes the forms you will need to keep up with your new ideas as well as a bonus report, 21 Ways To Get Yourself Writing When Your Life Has Just Exploded.

Head over to Holly's shop now and purchase How to Beat Writer's Block for immediate download. You will be writing and having fun again in no time.