Why are pseudonyms used

Finn Daniel Mallory , S. Watson Steve Watson , and J. Delaney Tony Strong are some of today's successful writers to adopt this method. Some authors choose a pen name to write in a different genre than the one for which they are best known. Agatha Christie published several romance novels under the name Mary Westmacott. Nora Roberts and John Banville both chose pseudonyms when they started writing crime fiction. You will find their mysteries under the names J. Robb and Benjamin Black. Another reason writers have chosen to publish under pseudonyms is to avoid repercussions when expressing controversial or unpopular political stances.

For example, Ibn Warraq is a pen name that has been used by dissident authors throughout the history of Islam. And if an author is writing something incendiary that might cause them embarrassment in their private life, they might want to hide their identity.

In the 19th century, an author known only as Walter published My Secret Life , the sexual memoirs of a Victorian-era gentleman. Walter was later unmasked as book collector and bibliographer Henry Spencer Ashbee. Writers have also been known to choose a pseudonym so as not to put their family name on their work. With the best of intentions, he thought that writing would bring destruction to the family and myself and, especially, that it would lead me to a life of complete uselessness.

Another reason people choose a pseudonym is for collaborations. For instance, the best- selling author, Christina Lauren is actually two best friends; thriller writer Lars Kepler is actually a husband and wife team; and Charles Todd is really a mother-and-son duo. Business of Writing. Breaking In. Be Inspired. Writing Prompts. The Writer's Life. Writing Quotes. Vintage WD. From the Magazine. WD Competitions. Annual Competition. Self-Published Book.

Self-Published Ebook. Popular Fiction. Personal Essay. Short Short Story. From the Winners. Your Story. Pen names are beneficial for a ton of reason, many not listed above. Pen names allow you to publish material that you otherwise would not publish—material that could form the basis for a loyal following, people so loyal who could be salivating for your next biggest project—a book-length work that, who knows, goes on to span a fictional series, a memoir based on personal life experiences , a novel that you later sell the movies for, etc.

Most great fiction finds its basis on non-fictional real life accounts, after all. Think of it in terms of a question: why do new cookbooks or rock groups come out each year? Personally, I think it comes down to the market always allowing for new and unique voices that offer a fresh perspective on a given subject. What you think is only good enough may very well be great for somebody else.

You may be that special person people connect with. A Medium article published by the writer S. Anthony further elaborates on these above points. Think of the virtually limitless creative opportunities that you, the aspiring writer, are afforded. No other creative profession — no profession at all, for that matter — allows for such wondrous potential. The lawyer who loses too many cases develops a bad rap; the athlete who blows the big game one too many times finds it hard to rebound; the musician who plays a horrible note hardly recovers his or her musical prowess; the restaurateur who gets too many bad reviews on Yelp, and on and on….

If you fail to resonate with readers after publishing your deepest personal memoir but feel you can give it a shot at short story writing—who can stop you? If the funny punchlines that you thought could form a humor book fall flat and get bad reviews on Amazon but think you can write the latest Sci-Fi book, what law exists to prevent you? The only difference is his failings were made public; yours will remain private. Talk about a win-win!!

The beauty of writing is that you can control the extent of your privacy; nobody sees you in the privacy of your home formulating your craft, nobody even has to know the person behind the name…too shy to engage with your audience live?

Not to go too far with my point here, though. Here are some pointers to keep in mind regarding pen names. I provide some examples — some hypothetical, some real-world—on when pen names are appropriate and ways you might be able to further brand yourself:.

Having said that, I think it also depends on the audience who will be reading your writing — the use of numerical identifiers can sometimes make for easier reading, and may be more appropriate for your audience. What names do I choose? One nice strategy is to ask participants to choose their own pseudonyms — it can be a great way to build rapport at the beginning of an interview or focus group.