Pen Name or Real name??

I know of a writer who writes in five different genres and has pen names for each of the different genres. In Romance, there are some male writers who use women's pen names to help sell books better. So, it's not really a big deal to use a pen name.

Warts in a name

Because of the disgraceful nature of the chapter called "Marzipan" in my PA published novel The Newness of New, I used the pseudonym Stanley Jozwiak.
There is no legal requirement to notify any court that you are going to use a pen name. You do have to specify that your novel was written by John Doe using the Pseudonym Stan Jozwiak when you apply for your copyright. It is also advisable to notify your local postmaster that if the post office receives any mail in your pen name, the P.O. can deliver it to your home address or post box.
Unfortunately, for some reason the Library of Congress denied granting me a copyright when I first submitted my novel. I applied for The Newness of New using the pseudonyms Stephen King and J K Rowling (their first collaboration) It appears that there is some silly law on the books that prevents one from doing that.

My real name is on my books. As Linda pointed out, some authors who write in different genres will use pen names for each. Some don't.

I have three regional history books published. My fourth, a WIP children's book, will likely contain my real name. That's because the children's book is historical fiction.

allen

I've used my real name for the few short stories I've had published.


But I've given serious consideration to a pen name should I publish a novel. Something easy to prounounce.

Pen names are most often business decisions. They come after you are in business, meaning you have a contract, of course.

I have had 4 pen names with different publishers or genres (though presently publishing concurrently under 2 of them (Annie Jones and Luanne Jones), I have had years when books came out under 3, and if you count reprints, all 4). Every time I have used a new pen name it has been about business, including one book that was orphaned and we used a pen name to keep the numbers, which we knew were going to stink, from hurting my chances at publishing elsewhere. That book didn't do so bad and I pubbed elsewhere based on awards and reviews, not numbers so...

If I had the choice to make again, I'd have been Luanne ANYTHING BUT Jones (this is my legal name and I got talked into using it by an agent and editor who thought it sounded 'southern') so my best advice on that if you decide to go that way, chose something you will be happy with.

annie (aka Natalie Patrick aka Annie Flannigan)
Luanne Jones
Heathen Girls (MIRA available now)

Shadow_Ferret said:

I've used my real name for the few short stories I've had published.


But I've given serious consideration to a pen name should I publish a novel. Something easy to prounounce.

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I never really had a problem pronouncing "Shadow Ferret".....

I used a pen name for my early short stories (unpublished). Now I'm using my real name for novels (unpublished). In my fantasy world, I start selling books. In my rather pessimistic (or realistic) fantasy world, they start to tank. Or, a happier thought, I'm so successful that I want to spread my wings and look at a new genre. In either of those cases, I'd start switching to pen names. But I'm going to start with the real one, and hope it sticks.

Just to add...

that if you are not an American citizen check with your friendly legal advisor about pen names.

In NZ, and so probably in most of the rest of the Commonwealth, in order for you to pass your copyright onto your heirs you have to have substantial proof (bank statements, publishers' letters and contracts and usually a legal document) explaining that you are using the pen name, Helena Heffalump, and it is your pen name.

Shadow_Ferret said:

But I've given serious consideration to a pen name should I publish a novel. Something easy to prounounce.

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I keep going back and forth on this myself. My real name is very bland: think "Jane Smith." But my maiden name is very eastern European, and 99% of the people reading it for the first time pronounce it wrong. I've been sending out queries so far using my full name: "Jane CantPronounceIt Smith." At what point should I think of a pen name, if I should use one? Is this something that isn't important at this stage, and I should just concentrate on getting interest from an agent? And down the road if I'm going to be published an editor will say "You know, let's come up with something more palatable..." Is that likely?

Baywitch said:

Do you use your 'Real Name', a pen name, and does a pen name mean you have to legally change it?

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Just to confuse matters, I use a "real pen name" - the name I was given at birth but never used because I was adopted. I have since legally changed my adopted name to my birth name (long story), but go by my husband's surname in everyday life. So... (are you still following me?) by using my maiden birth name for my writing, I still get to be me, but incognito. Keeps my writing persona separate from my private life, and allows my kids and hubby relative safety, normality and anonymity.

I'm using my real name for the upcoming publications of my first novel. How else would the people who told me to give up, who said that I'd never amount to anything, realize how wrong they were?

Jeneral said:

I keep going back and forth on this myself. My real name is very bland: think "Jane Smith." But my maiden name is very eastern European, and 99% of the people reading it for the first time pronounce it wrong. I've been sending out queries so far using my full name: "Jane CantPronounceIt Smith." At what point should I think of a pen name, if I should use one? Is this something that isn't important at this stage, and I should just concentrate on getting interest from an agent? And down the road if I'm going to be published an editor will say "You know, let's come up with something more palatable..." Is that likely?

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I use a pen name. Originally I wanted to write under my maiden name, which is Dutch. My legal neame is German, and not only unpronounceable ( I still can't pronounce the Umlaut) to English speakers, it usually gets demoted to Munch, which evokes the rather creepy painting The Scream, or something rather silly, the Munch Bunch. Besides, it's not my name, it's my husband's.
It was my editor and her sales and marketing team who first suggested a pen name. Their reason being that my maiden name started with W and thus on bookshelves it would be on the bottom shelf. I was amenable, and we discussed various possibilities, including my father's middle name and my mother's maiden name. Finally we decided to shorten my maiden name and that's how I ended up who I am.
Be warned that in writer and reader circles your pen name becomes your name, so you must be happy with it.
In retrospect, I wish I'd stuck with my maiden name. The W argument ceased to convince after I once found the W authors at eye level, and th eM authors - including me - on the bottom.

To answer your question: sure, you can start thinking about it now, but make sure it's something you can live with, and maybe, turn into one day.

L.Jones said:

Pen names are most often business decisions. They come after you are in business, meaning you have a contract, of course.

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So let me get this right, you don't have to choose until after you have a contract? That makes sense. I was thinking you have to plunge ahead with one from the beginning.

PS. Did you write Sadie-in-Waiting? I liked it

Bigbunny said:

So let me get this right, you don't have to choose until after you have a contract? That makes sense. I was thinking you have to plunge ahead with one from the beginning.

PS. Did you write Sadie-in-Waiting? I liked it

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That's correct. You can start thinking about it now but you don't have to commit until much later in the publishing process.

I think it was Damon Knight who cautioned women who write under their married names that they might not always be married to the same man.

I use three pen names, one for each of the genres I write.

Bigbunny said:

So let me get this right, you don't have to choose until after you have a contract? That makes sense. I was thinking you have to plunge ahead with one from the beginning.

PS. Did you write Sadie-in-Waiting? I liked it

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Yikes! Yes, I did write Sadie-in-Waiting. Thanks!

And yes, don't worry about pen names until you have at least signed with an agent (its fine to consider and play about with it, or course, but don't include it in submissions). There are tons of things to consider including the kind of book you are doing, names of other authors (either big names or already published by your publisher) that might be too similar to your name or to keep different writing ventures separate (steamy stuff and children's stories, for example).
Also as Aruna says the shelf placement (that's how I got stuck still using Jones) and that doesn't really mean anything, books get shelved on all levels depending on inventory.


Your pen name will be included in a clause in your contracts for proof of who you are -- but I've never had a problem even when a publisher slips and sends me a check with a pen name on it - you can believe I get that sucker cashed (having them redo it could take forever and this writer always needs $$) but you can have your copyright under you legal name, your pen name, or a corporation name to either reveal or conceal your identity.

annie
Luanne Jones
Heathen Girls (Mira - available now)

I use my real name, but my real name (Skylar) is rather unique so I don't feel compelled to use a pen name.

"I think it was Damon Knight who cautioned women who write under their married names that they might not always be married to the same man."

I write under my married name. I wasn't always single either! So I have work under my maiden name too. I don't see this as a problem. I use my full name when I write, which includes my maiden name as a middle name, so the name recognition would largely remain if I ever switched back to my maiden name.

aruna said:

That's correct. You can start thinking about it now but you don't have to commit until much later in the publishing process.

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I thought when you submitted your work you'd put the title and your pen name down, then in the upper corner have your real name and contact info and on the right side the copyright and word count. Isn't that the case?

Like this:

Address
Phone

I always figured I would use my maiden name if I get published...or hyphenate it with my married name. I want to make sure all the people who said I would never make it don't have any doubt that I did...my way of telling them to stick it!

<sigh> Now I just have to make it...

reph said:

I think it was Damon Knight who cautioned women who write under their married names that they might not always be married to the same man.

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This is true, but honestly I'd probably keep this name if I got divorced. (Not that that's in any danger of happening...) I'm too used to having a name that I can actually spell to people over the phone.

Thanks for the thoughts, Aruna. I'll start thinking about names in my family tree, but concentrate harder on making my synopsis look good.