What if youre not brave enough to publish a memoir. My first adult book was a bit racy so we needed to keep the genres separate. But the word of mouth is extremely slow, and i have sold less than 20 copies of any book. If you write a book under a pseudonym and receive royalties. If youre considering using a pen name when selfpublishing a book, youll. Today considered among the greatest novelists of our time. Sometimes authors use a pseudonym that is easier to spell and remember. Derek haines a cambridge qualified celta english teacher and author of 18 books with a life long passion for publishing in all forms.
Other times it could be for individuals, such as spies or criminals, who want to. Rowling is the real author of the cuckoos calling, a crime thriller published under the very british pseudonym robert galbraith. Im also planning a sequel, about the reprocussions. And authors can always selfpublish books between big releases. Writers have adopted pseudonyms or pen names to disguise themselves for a number of reasons. Taking a pen name might be best for yousay, if youre writing erotica but want to take a shot at middle grade fictionbut maybe not. When a famous author known for writing a specific type of novel wants to. Your author name is part of your brand, and the use of a pseudonym is something that many writers consider in their careers for different reasons. Its depressingly easy to understand why women of past centuries, or any century, would like the georges, sand and eliot write under a male name. Murray, who writes interracial romance novels, is a man i cant confirm he uses a pen name because he writes in the romance category, but i wouldnt be surprised if that was his motivation. Many writers use pen namesbut theres a right way and a wrong way to publish your book, stories, poems, or essays under a pseudonym.
I write about many topics, but there is one i can never write about using my real name. By definition, a pen name it is not considered ones legal name. In this video stefan answers a question he commonly gets such as if one can publish a kindle book under a pen name. For articles, short stories, and poetry, you can simply put your real name in the upper left corner of your manuscript or on the cover page, and list your pen name as your byline beneath the title. So how do you know if you should use a pen name or not. There are many reasons why an author might choose to use a pseudonym or pen name. If you think writing under an alias is in your future, here are some criteria to help you decide.
This may occur when someone is ghostwriting a book or play, or in parody, or when using a front name, such as by screenwriters blacklisted in hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s. I have ed a book and i used a pseudonym plus i listed my full real name also. Wouldnt you be a bit ticked off if you bought stephen kings next book expecting blood, guts and hairraising intensity, only to find out its a weepy romance novel. In this post, youll learn why you might want to write under a pen name or not and how to navigate having multiple pen names. Or is it that you think a pseudonym would help sell your book. Sep 26, 2014 but i got to thinking recently and wondered. These are fair questions, since the vast majority of military bloggers write under their actual names. While louisa may alcotts best known work, little women. It is, in part, a backformation from pseudonymous, in part from german pseudonym and french pseudonyme, and from greek pseudonymos meaning, having a false name or under a false name. But, i think i need to register the under my real name, right. Be clear about your objectives what do you want to achieve with your books and writing. To accomplish this you will need to locate the book published under the pen name on amazon and link it to your author central account. This is a list of books published under a pseudonym. Promoting your books when youve written under a pseudonym.
My question is, my penname is not very usual is the same as the real name of someone in the us, and someone else from france i looked online, can i get into problems legal because of this. Its a pleasure to have him over for a guest post on the creators roulette to talk about writing under a pseudonym. Feb 08, 2018 why do some writers choose to write under a pen name. To receive royalty payments from a publisher or anyone else in the united states, you need to submit a w9 tax form to the payer disclosing the name of the entity receiving payments, their address, and their taxpayer identification number. Why do some writers choose to write under a pen name. Bernard bertram on writing under a pseudonym armed with a. Many authors write under a pseudonym, also known as a pen name. Jul 10, 2019 if he uses a false name in the book contract, the contract can be terminated for fraud. Blaze was, in fact, an unpublished novel of kings written before carrie or the creation of richard bachman. Many aliases or pseudonyms are used by writers who do not want their actual names published on a book. Then again, if you normally write an urban fantasy series and want to try your hand at romance, you might start writing under a different name.
Born in paris in 1804, amantine lucile aurore dupin is. Oct 03, 2016 ever since i started writing under the guise of angry staff officer, ive had a lot of people ask me, why do you blog under a pseudonym. Later, in 1961, lewis used another pseudonym when he wrote a grief. War veteran bill spence writes as jessica blair, and lawrence block writes under a number of both female and male pseudonyms. So here is writers reliefs best advice on how to use your pseudonym in your cover and query letters as you try to publish your book, poems, or short prose.
This is also the case for males writing under gender neutral names, or as female names, to attract female readers. If you search my pen name, its likely youll find just me. Theres a german author writing under a female pseudonym i wanted to check out for quite a time and that would be just the right motivaiton to do it now. Jul 17, 20 over the weekend, word leaked out that harry potter author j. Here are 10 questions to consider as you decide whether or not to write under a pseudonym. And then, dont i need to put my real name on the page. If the authors name is hard to remember or is unusual.
Rowling said writing in the guise of a retired military policeman and a male was a liberating experien. Aug 21, 2019 you can use a word processing program to design a fake cover of your book to see how good your pseudonym would look with it. List of works published under a pseudonym wikipedia. A pen name can serve you well, it can be a great tool to give you more control over your professional options in the publishing world. If the genres arent too dissimilar, it might actually work in your favor to keep writing under your name in order to retain your readership.
Authors write under pseudonyms, or pen names, for a variety of reasons. Id just written a childrens story called lucy the diamond fairy under another. But i do understand if writers feel the need use a pseudonym. Nov 17, 20 its depressingly easy to understand why women of past centuries, or any century, would like the georges, sand and eliot write under a male name. Do you, or have you ever, or would you consider writing under a pseudonym, or pen name. In the 19th century, writing was a predominantly male profession, and women would occasionally write under a male pseudonym to avoid the biases that came with a woman trying to make a living in a mans profession, as mary ann evans did when she was published as george eliot. I had been teaching memoir writing for more than 20 years, emphasizing truth as the hallmark of memoir. Ratchet would be a great name for a detectivesuspense novel writer, and. Jan 30, 2017 10 authors who write under different pen names. In my opinion you are brave for getting your story out there, how shocking it might be. This is done by signing contracts with the publisheragent using the real name corresponding to the pen name. Helen sedwick, a writer for the book designer, cleared up all of my questions in her article should you be using a pen name. As i wrote above, its harder for me to interact with people under a pen name. Ive also got some tips on how best to come up with one.
Some authors write under a different pseudonym for one or more of the above reasons, or even a different reason all together. If you write scifiction and romance and erotica there is value in writing under different names. I have a psychopath stalker whos been after me for many many years now. Like, you want to publish a chinese cook book and your real name is. It is perfectly legal to publish your work under a pseudonym if you are a writer. Mar 18, 2020 bertram loves fantasy and through his writing an exploration, has learned that even fantasy worlds have much to fear and glory to obtain.
Nov 28, 20 trade publishers are notoriously wary of using the same author name across different genres, or of using a name that they feel is inappropriate for a particular book hence the morphing of joanne rowling into the more masculine j k rowling, even though she doesnt have a middle name. You might choose to do the same write under a name thats yours, but is. Or why some authors choose to write using a pseudonym. Choosing to use a pseudonym for my memoir was not an easy decision.
A pair of sunglasses is on top of books by famous authors on a beach table. My journey through my sons bipolar illness and addiction. I know that an author can use a pen name pseudonym instead of a true name when publishing the traditional way. Jun 19, 2008 many writers use pen namesbut theres a right way and a wrong way to publish your book, stories, poems, or essays under a pseudonym. Ive become disabled and cannot afford to lose my income. I dont want to upset anyone so i wrote the book under a pseudonym. I think one of the most debilitating things about writing a technical book, or a professional book, is that people will always research your background first and base a judgement solely on their agreement or disagreement with your history in business. First, they make me look into a huge book if my pseudonym was there already and it wasnt there, so i proceed to registered the article and the penname.
But i feel that the world we live in is so different than it was ten or twenty years ago that writing something under your real name in your early twenties can have serious and longlasting repercussions for your career. Aug 16, 2017 i dont think that you are not brave if you dont want to use your real name when you are writing about your life, your truth. Established authors will do it to cross genres and keep from aggravating their fan bases. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to writing under a name that is not your own. I didnt sign a noncompete clause or anything, but i want a gap between work and writing. Writers use pseudonyms for a variety of reasons, and many successful. For example, robert silverberg and randall garrett collaborated under the name robert randall. We write for different reasons but i dont ever see a time where i would write under my own name. Can a self publishing author use a pen name pseudonym. After all, if my work got lost in searches, or if it was confused with someone elses articles or books, that posed a problem. Im writing a book about a shooting ive been writing this for months if youre wondering and its in the point of view of one of the shooters and it focuses on the planning. A pseudonym is distinct from an allonym, which is the real name of another person, assumed by the author of a work of art. Guilty men, originally published in 1940 under the pseudonym cato, was written by michael foot, frank owen and peter howard. Writing under a fictitious name was a very common practice in the.
I had never intended to use a pen name for my book, blinded by hope. Sep, 2018 as i wrote above, its harder for me to interact with people under a pen name. Often, writing under a pseudonym is as easy as putting the phrase writing as on your manuscript. What are the pros and cons of writing under a pen name. I do not dare to write anything about him and all t. Why i write under a pen name the writing cooperative. Promoting your books when youve written under a pseudonympen name.
Of course, a publisher can always choose to use a pseudonym for an author. Additionally, as an agent, my credibility is based on trust with a publisher. Blogging under a pseudonym with no one knowing its you gives you the freedom to voice anything and everything. Submitting a book under false pretenses damages my reputation. Writing under a pseudonym who here does it and why. Perhaps you think your real name doesnt sound cool enough, or your name sounds inconsistent with the type of book youre writing.
This will focus on my previous main characters pregnant girlfriend. It might also explain why his later books were attributed to c. Ive noticed the change gradually having bragged about the blog and knowing that some people i know read iti do censor a few thoughts i probably would have written had no one i know known about this space. Ultimate popsugar reading challenge 2018 challenge. You might also choose to write under different author names.
I would like some feedback on my reasons for a pseudonym. Unfortunatelly none of his books are translated into english so i only post the name if theres interest by german speaking readers. The key legal issue is to ensure that this is acknowledged clearly in your publishing contract that is, your publisher is aware of your real identity and that you wish to publish under a different name for whatever reason. I also have a few neutral reasons that are a bit sticky, like obscuring your gender. Barnard included a long fatal love chase, a dark love story written two years prior to little women, and the novella behind a mask, with themes of social class and manipulation. Using different author names or a pseudonym as a writer. It was published in 2007 under the bachman pseudonym, with a foreword by king under his own name. Mar 29, 2019 writers have adopted pseudonyms or pen names to disguise themselves for a number of reasons. The realisation that if i ever managed to write a novel it would have to be under another name came 12 years ago when i was sitting in the. Did you know that bernard bertram is actually a pseudonym. One of the biggest decisions youll face as a newly contracted author is whether or not to write under a pseudonym. Over the weekend, word leaked out that harry potter author j.
Using different author names or a pseudonym as a writer the. When science fiction writer isaac asimov started writing david starr, space ranger, a ya scifi book that was going to be turned into a tv show, he chose a new name. Writing under a fictitious name was a very common practice in the eighteenth century, when writers and journalists used pseudonyms to pen controversial or even illegal articles and letters to the editor. Often, collaborative authors will invent a pseudonym to convey the impression that a book was written by a single author. When writing under a pseudonym, should i put my real name. Or you could just write under an already known name that has already written several books in your section.
Need help submitting your writing to literary journals or book publishersliterary agents. Their decision to write and become an author under a pen name. Often, it is because of a complete change of genre. Working with amazon author pen names publishing with kindle. Understand that the pseudonym you use for your writing can have a. Actors and artists often use fictitious names, and writers sometimes choose to create under a different persona. On the flip side, though, taking a pen name for the wrong reasons could hurt you if you dont think carefully and strategically about why youre publishing under a. I was just curious about if there were many of you who choose to write under a pseudonym, especially those of you who are published. When writing under a pseudonym, should i put my real name on the page of my book. A writer with an audience in romance will choose a different pen name for a dark, dystopian fantasy. For its publication king rewrote, edited, and updated the entire novel. Or, more belligerently, why do you hide behind a pseudonym.
Bernard bertram on writing under a pseudonym armed. New york times bestselling author dean koontz has admitted to writing. The turner diaries, written in 1978 by william luther pierce former leader of the white nationalist organization national alliance under the pseudonym andrew macdonald. I enjoy writing, but get discouraged when i see that no one has read my work.
Actors and artists often use fictitious names, and writers sometimes choose to create under a different persona as well. May, 2016 this is also the case for males writing under gender neutral names, or as female names, to attract female readers. If youd like to write or publish something under a different name, there are. Jk rowling publishes crime novel under false name books. Mary ann evans despite her success as a critic under her true name, for her first branch out into fiction mary ann felt a male counterpart would serve her best. An alias, or pseudonym, is a fictitious name someone uses to cover up their true identity. Choosing to use a pseudonym for my memoir by meg mcguire. Do you need to write under a pseudonym because people at work might. Can a self publishing author use a pen namepseudonym. Just put the title in the appropriate font and size at the top and your pseudonym at the bottom. When it comes to book marketing and developing a strategy for book promotion and growing an author platform, there really is no difference whether you write under your real name or a pseudonym. Jan 10, 2020 the truth behind her pseudonym was uncovered in the 1940s when a rare book dealer and librarian discovered some characteristic notes on a a.
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