Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Are you using a pen name? If so, why? How did you come about your selected pen name?

I am not. But I can tell you the reasons why one does:

-You are writing in quite a different genre or style, and you don't want to confuse your fans. The people who adore your Regency romances will merely be annoyed, picking up your latest Western gunslinger drama.

-You have a day job that your writing might impact. I have a friend who teaches second grade. Her rather racy fantasy fiction is something she does not want her pupils (or worse, OMG, their parents!) to get hold of.

-Your birth name is Stephen King, or John Salinger, or Barack Obama, or Joan Roseanna Rowling. Yeah it's your name. But it'll just lead to grief. If you don't want a complete pseudonym, at least use your middle name or middle initial or a nickname.

Good answers!

I've been publishing my work under my real name. I personally know one fiction writer who published three books using three different names. Not sure why. I create art under my middle name...to separate from my literary works.

I am, but only because the first half of my name is Anne and people take one look at the second half and decide they don't even want to try to pronounce it or type it, so they just call me Anne. Which would be fine, except that I HATE being called Anne. So I dropped the "Anne" and now they have to at least ATTEMPT to reproduce my name in a conversation.

Unless they go with "Oy, you" which has been known to work.

Yes -- it's my professional name -- I use my middle initial A. :) Hence Laurel A. Rockefeller instead of just Laurel Rockefeller which sounds informal (okay, my mom's pet name for me is even more informal -- but that's a mom for you).

I just think on books my name sounds better with the middle initial. I know lots of people who do that.

I use a pen name that consists of my initials and--of course!--my last name. I did it for separation from my work and because of the many, many loons who lurk on the Internet. I've run across two on Goodreads, as a matter of fact, and I'm grateful that they don't know my real name.

I don't for my fantasy novels. However, I have a sci-fi that is in the works, and am thinking about using a pen-name or going to my initials for that... for the same reasons that Brenda mentioned about not wanting to confuse fans... haven't decided yet.

I don't I just use my middle initial and my full first name which normally only my mother and sister use. OK I admit my wife does as well, when I don't listen!

I have written three books in three different genres and it has been suggested I should have used pen names to help separate the books, but not so far.

If I am ever lucky enough to sell a lot of books that I develop a true following then I'll reconsider

I know an author who uses the same pen name for everything. It's become his name as far as everyone is concerned. It's the "brand" he produced long before he started writing, so he just puts it on his books too.

I have always wondered about the value of a pen name, although I don't use one. Sunshine Somerville is, seriously, my real name. I don't think I would bother coming up with a pen name that is MORE unique than my real name, but I often wonder if it makes me stand out too much and makes privacy more of an issue - I don't think I've ever heard of ANYONE else with my name.

I use my real name and I write poetry and full length books of different genres. I want people to know me for my name. I think I'd consider a pen name in the event I want to do something really out of bounds.

Yes I use a pen name.
For heavens sake Sue Martin is almost as bad as Jane doe.Hence Arabella Thorne....My SCA name (Arabella from the heroine of Captain Blood....and I have no idea where Thorne came from!)I even have an SCA coat of arms...but I can't quite remover the design.. though it did have a quill on it!

There are also all the men who write romance novels. Necessarily they use female pen names. I suppose that the opposite also applies, and that your female military action-adventure author will use her initials or a pen name.

Vanessa wrote: "Are you using a pen name? If so, why? How did you come about your selected pen name?"

My name is Charles Wilbur Yates, Jr. I write with a delightful lady named Beatrice Dee Pipes. We have published four novels together, A Jealous God, Justice Perverted, A Foolish Plucking, and Ravening Wolves under the penname Dee Wilbur, a combination of our middle names. Beatrice Charles sounded to much like a pop singer. Dee was embarrassed to use her real name, thinking that her friends might laugh at her efforts.

I use a pen name, mostly because no one can pronounce/spell my real name.

I use a pen name because my 90-year-old mother, my grown children, and heaven forbid! my older grandchildren would be horrified if they ever discovered I was writing erotic fiction. My pen name for that is completely made-up. Later I may write tamer romances under a different name. I have had a pen name picked out since I was a child that is a combination of my middle name and my mother's maiden name. I can't wait to use it!

I use a pen name. Vandiver is my maiden name and there are not many left. My married name has many, many descendants. It'll give my family name a way to survive. Don't know how I came up with "Abby." "L" is the first initial of my last name and my mother's name. Dual purpose there. Plus, I just live being someone else!