Book writers pen names for

There are a few reasons why some writers or artists pick pen names. Throughout history, female authors have published their work under male or genderneutral pen names. Mar 10, 2020 though the days of women selecting masculine pen names for fear of being unable to publish are predominantly past, authors still frequently write under names that are not their own. Feb 08, 2018 why do some writers choose to write under a pen name. Dec 11, 2018 if you publish two books a year and have two pen names, that means one book a year under each pen name. Women writers have long disguised their gender hoping to get taken seriously but a few male authors pretend to be female to hopefully sell more books. Trouble thinking up a new pen name, and need inspiration. That means less exposure for both of those pen names in amazon searches.

Some authors write exclusively under their pen name, while others. Acclaimed danish writer karen blixen the author of out of africa, a memoir detailing her time living in kenya used a number of pen names throughout her career. When i first started writing, i became online friends with doris gluck. Aug 15, 2019 other writers have covered pen names before on this blog e.

I would like some feedback on my reasons for a pseudonym. In many cases, a writer will use a pen name for his work and his legal name. Using a pen name when writing a book is neither good nor bad. Meet the male writers who hide their gender to attract. Pen name generator choose from over a million pen names. You can let your imagination run free, stripped of caution and compromise. Certain authors are very prolific and may have multiple items being marketed simultaneously. Kickstart your writing career with this pen name generator that boasts over 1 million fake names. The artists in different parts of the world usually take pen names for a variety of reasons.

Thus the bessie bunter series of english boardingschool stories, initially written by the prolific charles hamilton under the name hilda richards, was taken on by other authors who continued to use the same penname. Our pen name generator searches every first name and last name in the usa that is thousands upon thousands of possibilities and millions of combinations so if you cant find inspiration here, you wont find it. The kids had a good time coming up with pen names of their own. Author joanne rowling adopted the more masculine sounding pen name, j. Youve written something terrific, but what should you call yourself. If you are wondering how to choose a pen name and where to get started just browse through some of the pen names to get ideas. What is a good pen name for a horrormystery writer. I used the pen name because i knew i wanted to write better novels. To differentiate brands and write in different genres.

Using different author names or a pseudonym as a writer. Channel guide book title generator character name generator epub to mobi converter independent publishers literary magazines pen name generator plot generator short story ideas writing contests writing. A pen name may be used to make the author s name more distinctive, to disguise the author s gender, to distance the author from their other works, to protect the author from retribution for their writings, to combine more than one author into a single author, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic. Authors write under pen names for all sorts of reasons. Kickstart your writing career with this pen name generator that boasts over 1. Some pen names you dont see coming, though, and assume the name on the book cover is the real deal. Why i write under a pen name the writing cooperative. Like brand names, they are designed to be catchy, memorable and suited to the genre. Pen names and the famous writers who use them the writers. If you have ever read a book and found yourself thinking that the style and way of writing seemed very familiar, it is possible that the book you are reading was actually written by your favorite author only under a pen name. As a book publicist i am frequently asked about using pen names. If you are publishing with kindle direct publishing kdp, using a pen name on amazon is very easy.

How to create your perfect pen name writer unboxed. Every time you publish a book, youre putting your name out into the world people will look for you on amazon and other bookselling sites, theyll look on social media sites, and theyll look for an author website. What are the pros and cons of writing under a pen name. 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. Many writers use pen names but theres a right way and a wrong way to publish your book, stories, poems, or essays under a pseudonym. Here are a few of the many reasons authors use pen names. What was the name of the first street where you lived. Established authors will do it to cross genres and keep from aggravating their fan bases. Choosing a pen name can be a difficult process for writers. But regardless of why one chooses to use a pseudonym, creating a pen name can play an important part in your book s marketing.

A simple reason to prefer a pen name is that writers are often an introverted species. Some of these reasons are a mark of personal identity, hiding personal information, a mark of protest, or to identify with their nicknames. For some, such a move was a creative choice, an experiment in anonymity. Watkins uses the pen name to speak out about feminism and race. Authors throughout the centuries have used pen names. The idea that someone a year younger than me could have written a book seemed incredible. O ne of the fun things about being a novelist is inventing names for your characters. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, many female writers used pen names because they feared their work would not be taken as seriously as male authors by the industry. Lets dive into how to come up with cool pen names that will work for your books. Its a name that a writer assumes professionally, instead of publishing. Why do some writers choose to write under a pen name. If your name is lacey darling and youre writing a spy thriller, having a cooler name might influence just enough early buyers to make a difference. For some authors it was a way to get a fresh start and reinvent themselves without being tied to past success while others simply wanted to ensure that their gender would not be a factor in how their books are judged.

By using a pen name, she protected her joyce carol oates brand from the stigma of low book sales, the inevitable result of an novel that is experimental. Just click one of the genders below and get a pen name instantly generated. Many writers are prolific across different genres but to keep fans from being confused, authors use separate names, so readers know what they are getting. 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. Writers have used pen names or pseudonyms for hundreds of years to protect their identities, change gender or create an image with their names that may not be one that their legal name expresses. Theres a chance it was written by one of your favorite authors. Most recently i went through the procon process of whether or not to use a pen name with a client formerly with the cia.

The real people behind 10 famous pen names bookstr. Sep 26, 2014 but i got to thinking recently and wondered. Keralite or malayalam writers are not different from their leading counterpart. If you are an author and will be writing under a pen name this pen name creator should help you out. Actors and artists often use fictitious names, and writers sometimes choose to create under a different persona as well. A pseudonym also known as a pen name is a name you can give yourself for the purpose of anonymity or just to have a better sounding name. Pdf ldc solved question paper 2017 may kerala psc latest malayalam literary awards 2020 and other awardswinners list current affairs. For every pen name you create, you have to start from scratch. Lots of authors have pen names, of course, many more than ive. Use this pen name generator to find unique pen names and pen name ideas. Latest malayalam literary awards 2020 and other awardswinners list current affairs. This is an excerpt from how to market a book third edition, available now in ebook, print and audiobook formats 1. Click as many times as you like, each click generates 100% randomly and you can switch from female names to male names and.

In 1956, he published his first novel, the hunters, which was based on his. Have you ever read a book by a new author and thought the style was familiar. Other writers have covered pen names before on this blog e. All you need to do is add your new name as the authors name in the contributors section when you are preparing the book for publication. A pen name is also permitted when writers are producing a lot of work. They want to use a pseudonym to remain anonymous and to write in various genres without confusing their readers.

So if youre a practicing attorney and dont want your clients or partners to know you write steamy romance novels on the side, youll want to use a pen name. He penned a number of books under other names, such as theo lesieg and rosetta stone. Gloria jean watkins adopted the name bell hooks to honor her greatgrandmother, bell blair hooks. Erika leonard started out by writing fan fiction online under the name snowqueens icedragon. Other writers had to adopt pen names for different genres, or because publishers didnt want them to release too many books under the same name. It could be for marketing purposes or it could just be for their own comfort.

The feelings i write about are my genuine feelings. For all the writers in the world that have achieved phenomenal success under their pseudonyms, the number of authors that have blundered and misused the anonymity pen names afford them is even greater. For instance, when author judith reumlet published the first book of her ya urban. Besides a pen name can be used by more than one person to sustain the longevity of a book series. Helen sedwick, a writer for the book designer, cleared up all of my questions in her article should you be using a pen name. Mar 29, 2019 writers have adopted pseudonyms or pen names to disguise themselves for a number of reasons. The tip about shelving is spot on, as well as the tip about using the same last letter of a famous author in your genre. Its funny, because in the young writers group i moderate afterschool, we just talked about pen names and why someone might want to use one, and choosing the right one. Some want to escape the gender bias associated with being a female writer a bias which is somehow still a thing today. By definition, a pen name it is not considered ones legal name.

Id like to encourage my fellow women writers to feel confident in publishing under traditionally feminine names. Stephen king was told early in his career that if he wanted to publish more than one book a year he would have to do it under another name and so richard bachman was born. The author s real name is likely known to the publisher but not to the public. The authors real name is likely known to the publisher but not to the public. Why do certain writers and authors use pen names instead. She wrote under another, prettiersounding name, which she had come to dislike, but it was too late to change, as she had a small but growing readership. If you publish two books a year and have two pen names, that means one book a year under each pen name.

Also author rank is per author, so yes, all authors pen names will have a different rank. Writers have adopted pseudonyms or pen names to disguise themselves for a number of reasons. K rowling, when writing the harry potter series of books. Publishers frequently recommend pen names when prolific writers wish to churn out books in quick succession or if they wish to branch into new genres, including populist ones. I understand the patriarchal undertones that still flow through present society. Book title generator the ultimate bank of 10,000 titles. How to change your author name to a pen name when selfpublishing. How 8 famous writers chose their pen names mental floss. So, mary ann evans became george eliot and karen blixen became isak dinesen. Search carefully to make sure the pen name youve chosen isnt the name of a celebrity or historical figure. Working with amazon author pen names publishing with kindle. A pen name is whats listed as the authors name on a published book, and readers often do not know the real name or identity of the author. Generate realistic random pen names online for yourself or for your fictional characters.

Theodor ted seuss geisel wrote more than 60 childrens books and became one of the most famous childrens authors of all time. The more pen names you have, the harder it is to juggle each of those. For each pen name you create, you need to build a new audience. Seuss, one of the more wellknown pen names, was adopted from geisels middle name once he started writing childrens books. A pen name allows you to write and publish your book anonymously. A pen name may be shared by different writers in order to suggest continuity of authorship.

Author david cornwell started publishing his acclaimed espionage novels. How to register and legally use a pen name with pictures. Why do authors use pseudonyms surprising authors behind famous pen names key criteria to come up with the. Its interesting to me that her pen name is still not linked to the nowfamiliar author name. The pen name maker creates names from a large list of pen names. He used a few pen names, but his most popular one is a household name. I also have a few neutral reasons that are a bit sticky, like obscuring your gender. George orwell real name eric arthur blair george eliot real name mary ann evans lewis carroll real name charles lutwidge dodgson and many writers today use pen names. Even if they love the book, they wont share it or comment on it, because its just a book, and they cant forge a relationship with a book.

Instead of having 5 different works by john smith on the market to compete with each other, having 5 different author names allows for separation for the reader. A pen name may be used to make the authors name more distinctive, to disguise the authors gender, to distance the author from their other works, to protect the author from retribution for their writings, to combine more than one author into a single author, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic. Some authors give themselves a pen name for the purpose of anonymity. But regardless of why one chooses to use a pseudonym, creating a pen name can play an important part in your books marketing. The surprising stories behind the pen names of 10 famous authors. Conduct initial searches of possible pen names online to find out if theyre associated with a famous person you may not know.

I write romanticsuspensei was thinking of using the last name of robert, so i could be she. Then as many author central accounts 3 pen names per account as you have pen names. Do you know the real names of these famous writers. Literary novelists almost never change their names, but at the commercial end of the market authors are doing it with increasing frequency. It is simply a tool that is only as effective as the author exercising it. You can use your kdp details to create the first author central account for your first three pen names. Here are 10 authors who also wrote under other names.

A pen name shared by a famous person not only creates a likelihood of confusion, but could get you into legal trouble for identity theft. Here, eight that threw me for a loop when i first heard about them. If you have ever read a book and found yourself thinking that the style and. A pen name may be used to make the author s name more distinctive, to disguise the author s gender, to distance the author from their. Some pen names have been used for long periods, even decades, without the authors true identity being discovered, such as elena ferrante and torsten krol. A pen name is a name an author uses in place of their real name when publishing. Amanda cross, carolyn gold heilbrun, 20thcentury american. Pen name generator for authors publishing with love. So how do you know if you should use a pen name or not. A pen name is a necessity when identity is a matter of national security.