Anyone who read my first message in the "New: Introduce Yourself!" thread probably gave up trying to pronounce my real last name after spraining their tougue. Even though my name is perfectly phonetic, its Polish heritage means that ordinary syllables are crammed together in a very non-English configuration.

In my published non-fiction I have always used my given name. In fiction this might be a bad idea. I must at least give it some thought. If I fail as a fiction writer because my writing is bad, that is justice. If I fail because my name looks like a bowl of alphabet soup, that is tragedy.

Whether they use their real names or not, most of the authors I read have VERY English sounding names, like Niven, Clancy, King, or Roberts. I do not just mean names that are common or easy to pronounce. Estevez is as easy to pronounce as Ellington, but Ellington is very English and seems the more likely candidate for a pen name.

This makes sense. If you are selling a product whose raw material is the English language, having an English sounding name seems a natural cultural endorsement of your product.

On the other hand, this phenomenon might be the result of knee-jerk corporate bias. Perhaps someone has researched the appeal of various author names and has data to support a theory, or perhaps not. Maybe someone just assumed English pen names sell books without research, the way they assumed huge chrome tail fins would sell cars (that WAS done without research!).

Does anyone here know of any research data or other solid resources addressing the issue of pen names?

Data aside, would anyone like to share their opinion about the use of pen names?

[This message has been edited by Doc Brown (edited August 31, 2001).]
 

Granted, my name doesn't have the problems with pronunciation yours does: "Parish." Of course, people will ALWAYS spell it wrong if I ever get listed on Amazon or what not. "No returns found for: Chad Parrish."

I would think a distinctive name is not a handicap, at least in SF. Niven, Heinlein, Tolkein, Poul Anderson, Vinge, Crichton.

I doubt people would consider a foreign-sounding name a handicap, unless you have a typo on the first page of your manuscript.

In America, a name doesn't really tell a person anything. I'm half Sullivan, but five generations removed from Ireland.

For example, this months "Analog" has a story by Rajnar Vajra, a good writer.

So, my summary: with the handicap of spelling for literal-minded search engines, I doubt an unuasual name would hurt, and it might help.

[This message has been edited by chad_parish (edited August 31, 2001).]
 

I use a sort of pen name, in that I've hyphenated my maiden name to my married name in hopes that any books I publish will be put closer to eye level with Dalton-Woodbury than they would with Woodbury. <shrug>

There are lots of things to think about with regard to bylines. The way publishing works now, chances are good that whatever name you use the first time you have a fiction novel published if it doesn't sell really well, you will be advised to use a different name when your next fiction novel is published.

I'd say go ahead and use your real name, unless you like "Doc Brown" as a pen name (it would be a perfectly good one, by the way).

If people like and remember your stories, they will remember your name whether they can pronounce it or not.
 

Chad, all of the last names you list are at the very least Western European. You gave no Eastern names.

Kathleen, I have never seriously considered "Doc Brown" as a pen name. Doc Brown is, after all, already a copyrighted science fiction character. Even if it is legal to use the name, it would seem like sleazy business to me. Besides, I would not want to disapoint legions of fans expecting a Christopher Lloyd look-alike who could describe the physics behind the Flux Capacitor at my first book signing.

So far my last name has served to make me memorable to friends, students, and co-workers. My concern is like yours, the effect my name would have on a shelf in a bookstore.

This may seem like an odd and even egotistical line of discussion, but I had a reason for bringing up the subject. The other day I was toying with possible pen names, and I realized the choice might affect my writing.

If I choose to be Thor Castle I will have a different mindset from what I would have as Elvis Coolman or Pete Chucklehead. All of these would certainly be different from the mindset I have under my given name.

Has anyone here seen anything about the effect of pseudonames on writing style? Or do any of you have comments about it?
 

Personally, when that glorious day comes for me that this is even an issue, I will use a pen name for the simple fact that I want to be at eye-level at the top of the bookshelf and not lost somewhere at the bottom. But that's just me.

Best of luck with your endeavors!!
 

That said, I can see value in a nom de plume, and I can definitely see how it could influence your writing. I had toyed for a while of having a pen name for my on-line stuff, and another for when I get published in the print mags. The name I chose (which I still like, but will keep for very specific types of stories) didn't fit at all with what I wanted to be writing at the time. So, I decided to stick with JP Carney and see where it gets me.

Oh yeah, and Carney is Irish (Kearney), but I don't have a lick of Irish blood in me...and yes, it's western european and "easy" compared to some you see, so I don't have to give it a second thought...for now.

If Doc Brown is a well known character in a genere you're likely to write in, I'd avoid it. I have never heard of the character ... (re-reads your post)... doh! Wait! Yes! (risking making a fool of myself here) He's the Doc in Back to the Future? Yes? Just hit me like a one ton DeLorean. So, with this new-found understanding, I'd definitely say no way...though I'm inclined to think that not as many people as you might imagine would pick up on the reference just by looking at the book spine. I wouldn't have gotten it if you hadn't given the references you did.

Anyway, I've been far from helpful on this topic, but wanted to throw my two pennies on the counter. I'd try to think of it this way: What would you want to see as the headline for your bestseller blurb? If you hit it big with Seymore Navelaire that's what you'll be signing over and over again on your book tour.
 

Is this because typically oriental people don't write a lot of english literature (ie: Because the first/second generation of orientals is really just starting to grow up in the western world) or is it because people have a tendency not to buy books from an author that is using an ethnic name (be it their real name or pen-name). This is not a matter of racism - far from it, but perhaps its just the nature of what one expects to see as the author of a book. Maybe it's a ridiculous idea, but if you consider that if the name is ethnic, then perhaps english is that person's second language, and therefore they simply don't have the skills and mastery over the language? Anyone ever consider this?

Being of the last name "Wong" myself, I'm wondering if I should ever publish anything, if I should use a penname or my real name. My preference is to use my real name, simply because it's hard to be a "Smith" when you're a "Wong".

Regards,
Kelvin

 

FYI, the Locus Bestsellers list from the current version of Locus has plenty of English-sounding names on it, but among the best-selling books we also have Le Guin (!), Lustbader, Salvatore, Modessit, Dalmas, and Gemmell.

The only reasons I can think of that a pseudonym would influence the readers or editors of the world are 1) associations, like the Bunny Smith thing, or 2) memory, as someone pointed out: It'll be harder to get word of mouth if people can't spell or pronounce your name.

But I would buy a Western by Bunny Smith if I really liked Westerns and the one I was looking at looked really good; and if I can't remember the name of a writer, I can usually refer someone to a book by title.

Luc Reid
 

A weird name can't hurt. I don't buy books because I can pronounce the author's name. In fact, most times I don't give a flip who the author is (with the exception of OSC, because I don't think I'd've bought "Children of the Mind" of my own volition).

Just DO NOT pick a Z pen name. On a bookshelf, eye level and near it is is about B-H...so when a reader is just standing and browsing titles, B-H comes up best... XYZ's are so hard to get to that most visits to the bookstore I just pass over them. I'm sure some XYZ authors have written great stuff but it's so friggin' hard to sit there and browse books. Either you're sitting the isle, you're squatting or you're at a 45 degree angle with your bulbous buttocks gyrating embarassingly in the air while you try to read the titles at that angle. I hear people like Zahn are great, but I'm not gonna go through all that when at eye level are the C's and D's and they're right there comfortably.

Don't pick an A name, either, because there are so many of them, and because a lot of great writers have A names...If the book is in a store where Fantasy and Sci-fi are put together you're gonna be competing for shelf space with EVERY PIERS ANTHONY book. I like Piers Anthony but hell if I'd ever want my work and his beside each other, competing for attention.

Even if it's just A's of science fiction...who does that put you with? Poul Anderson, Asimov, Aldiss, ADAMS (as in Douglas Adams). You don't want to compete with that.

B's and C's aren't that much friendlier. Okay, in B's you've got Brin, Bova, Benford, Butler plus a plethora of little-knowns.

So...don't do that. Try to have like a 'G' name...G's aren't taken up by anyone I can think of off the top of my head...and that's good.

Don't get put next to a prolific famous author. Do not pick a name begining with 'CAR' because you will get put next to Orson Scott Card and people will be looking through all of his books...Ender Books, Worthing Saga...Homecoming...Lost Boys...and then when the OSC gravy train stops, they don't want to go onto the next strange, unknown author. They go back to the beginning of the OSC books and then they skip down a few books, probably missing you. So don't pick like Cardinas or Cardinal or Carson.

When readers are first scanning over the one inch spines of books looking for their next buy, you've got about 1/5 of a second for your title or your cover to catch their eye before they pass on to the next guy. Most times readers won't see the great cover art or the back of the book. They're gonna see about a one inch spine of the book.

So where you are on the shelf can help your life out a lot. Don't get me wrong, it's still 97% about good writing, but it does help when you're at eye level, not near OSC or Piers Anthony and not Z. Z gets jipped, I kid you not.

My advice: If you've got a good name that isn't a Z name, use your own. If not, make up an equally strange one.

- Meg

****
Remember what the thought is
I brought all this
So you could survive
When law is lawless
-Gorillaz
"Clint Eastwood"

I'd like to argue a couple of points Meg makes:
1. The height at which any particular letters shows up in a given bookstore is not constant across bookstores: It depends on how many bookcases they have, what height they are, etc. That said, Z will always suck unless they start a new section on the same shelf, which they generally appear to avoid.

2. Just because your last name starts with the same last letter as somebody big doesn't somehow put you in competition with them. Bookstores don't assign shelf space by last letter of the author's name ("OK, we're going to go with 12% A's, 7% B's . . .").

3. People who talk about where you're going to show up on a bookstore shelf if you ever get published (like I am now) are just coming up with an excuse not to write something (like I am now). That said, I think I had better go work on that story I've been wanting to clean up.

Luc
 

Huh?? I didn't get that all from anyone's post! Ultimately, as a reader who by and large scans bookshelves and picks up what 'leaps out at me', I can tell you I scan what's near eye level... which means I find a lot of books between B - G, and could be missing some fantastic authors who have last names beginning with Z!

I can't speak for Meg, but that was my only point when I mentioned the bookshelf thing.

[This message has been edited by SiliGurl (edited September 08, 2001).]
 

Hermionerhija, I would be careful about using anecdotal data from Megara to make an important decision like this. One reader in one bookstore does not make a significant difference. In my local bookstore, the Zs are easily accessed at eye level. And the work of Zelazny has been selling like crazy for decades.
 

I either buy books by authors I already like, or by authors recommended to me. I go into the store knowing *who* I will look for. If your name is made entirely of Z's and J's, and somebody told me you write good, hard science, I'll buy your book -- period.

But that's just me.
 

In a bookstore, I personally brouse at eye-level, then jump to authors I know. I am a rather tall chap; my eye-level is a little higher than most people I know.

The book arrangement at the local bookstore is never the same; it all depends on how many copies of any given book come in. Thus, any given letter of the alphabet wanders along like a confused bee on a mission.

When I check out the authors I read often, I also check out any titles around them. In that aspect, they are a draw, not the opposite, to a new name.

I rather like my name, and regardless of what I write it will be on it. Even if it is close to Card . . .

Willis Couvillier,
WillC.

[This message has been edited by WillC (edited September 25, 2001).]
 

So, I was thinking of Soule V. Wells.
Soule - just a personal fav. of mine
V - not telling
Wells - my mommy's maiden name

What genre do you see that under (just for my personal curiosity)? Is it good at all?

I just thought it was nifty. Sorry all those who would see me use the name my parental phsycopaths gave me, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Sorry.
 

I have recently finished reading Donald Maass's book, Writing the Breakout Novel (silly title, but has sound advise for writing good fiction). Maass has been an agent for close to 25 years, and according to him, only one thing sells books: storytelling.

If the story's good, then the readers will pass it on to their friends, and on to their friends, et cetera.

There is not a word about the name of the author helping a book sell. I mean, who in the hell knew who Stephen King was when his first novel, Carrie, was published in 1974. Yet, because King is a master story teller, and because Carrie is a great story, the novel sold well enough (a $400,000 advance for the paperback, plus royalties) to be able to write full time. And we all know the rest of the story.

Stephen King's name didn't sell, Carrie. The story did.

(Do you smell a nasty conjunction coming on? I do.)

However, if a story's good, people will want to pass it on. I think this is where the author's name comes into play. If you have a difficult name to spell or pronounce, it may limit your sales. A reader can't pass on a recommendation if he or she can't get your name right. Thus, it seems to me that using a pen name is purely a marketing consideration. I think you hit the nail on the head in your first post.

But let's look at if from a different angle. There will by many authors with the last name of Card, King, Jordan, and Williams, but I will bet my firstborn that if I am able to publish a short story or novel, there will not be one with the last name of Vehige (pronounced VAY-GEE). And since names and pen names fall under the category of marketing, I may just keep my God-given surname and see it as an blessing rather than a curse. Better to stand out as an original than to blend with the crowd, right?

In any case, it's something to consider.

[This message has been edited by Augustine (edited October 01, 2001).]
 

Basically her point was a question of why you would want to mis-represent yourself with a pseudonym, with one major exception:
if you are switching genres and do not wish to be identified with your prior work. If memory serves Stephen King did this when he was trying to write some non-horror and didn't want a reaction of "But Stephen, this isn't horror!"

My $0.02.
 

Luc

 

quote:

---

Try to have like a 'G' name...G's aren't taken up by anyone I can think of off the top of my head...

---

DanJW: to provide another example, Iain Banks adds an 'M' in the middle for his sci-fi books.

And of course, even if you do have a nice Western European name (yes, that's sarcasm), it doesn't mean it's easy for people to spell or pronounce. My surname, Eastaugh, is constantly misspelled (people like to put an 'H' in the middle for some incomprehensible reason), and mispronounced too... (fyi, the correct pronunciation is "East-awe" )

Anyway... JK, I don't agree. If people don't want to use their real names, that's their business. It says something about the society that we live in that such practices are sometimes necessary, but that's a seperate issue. If they want to do it, that's fine by me. Personally, I'm not going to let our image-obsessed culture dictate just what I do, but maybe if I had a name that publishers thought was impossible to market, I might feel different. Not being in that situation, I think it would be wrong of me to judge people who are.

Of course, judging the people who have created a culture like this is a completely different matter...
 

In fact I am in the situation described by Augustine. Alomst no one can pronounce my Polish last name. In fact, I have known Polish people who doubted the authenticity of my name, because they could not pronounce it.

Not only is my last name long, it also has this in the middle of it: " . . . bsteln . . ." People of every nationality tell me that this letter combination is ridiculous.

After ten years my wife still struggles with it. One of my best friends still mispronounces it. My co-workers can neither pronounce nor spell it, and most of them have PhDs.

This thread has done nothing to make me confident about using my given name. However, it has opened the possibility for me to consider a more exotic, less Britsh sounding pen name.

[This message has been edited by Doc Brown (edited November 01, 2001).]
 

Perhaps instead of going with a British name, you should think about keeping your Polish heritage. Is there a family name (perhaps your mother's maiden name) that you could go with? Something to think about.

However, I know that Polish is very difficult for us Americans. Being a Catholic, I am a fond fan of our Polish Pope -- Karol Wojtyla. And whenever I read a book about him, many of the secondary sources are by Polish authors, and I thank God for my last name (which you know isn't exactly a Miller or a Smith). But there are many Polish names that aren't that difficult. Perhaps you can go with one of those.

[This message has been edited by Augustine (edited November 01, 2001).]
 

Since I've lately grown to feel that I want to write in two genres (SF/F and Young Adult) that might cause problems from reader expectations if I published in both of them under the same name, I expect I'll use a pseudonym for the YA stuff -- and it will be an Irish name filtered through French (at least, that's my best guess as to its origin. It's my mother's maiden name, Trahan).

Anyway, I meant to pass on that I thought of one other situation where a pen name might conceivably helpful: If you write so much, at a professional level, that you risk being taken for a hack based solely on the volume of your work, or that you have barriers to getting your work published too often in the same venue. I don't imagine this is much of a problem for most people, but it seems another situation where a pseudonym might be useful. For instance, you could conceivably (if you were at this level) have two different stories published in the same issue of the same magazine without raising eyebrows (if the editor were comfortable with it) by using your pseudonym with one of them.

On the other hand, it seems that there's a drawback: People who like your work and are looking for more of it would have to independently discover your pseudonym.

I'm curious as to people's opinions on this matter. I certainly am not in this position now, but I do write very quickly, so if I were to someday find I was having consistent success selling my work, I could be.

Luc

[This message has been edited by PaganQuaker (edited November 01, 2001).]
 

The situation you just described is why Stephen King published a number of novels under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. His publishers thought that publishing too many King books in one year would flood the market. So they had him published under Richard Bachman.

And you're right--readers have to discover your work under another name. If I remember correctly, King said that his novel Thinner sold 28,000 copies as Richard Bachman and, in the same period of time, sold over 300,000 copies as Stephen King! But you also have to remember that of Richard Bachman's first four books (Thinner was number five), one King wrote when he was a junior or senior in high school (Rage), and another he wrote when he was in college (The Long Walk). So it wasn't like King was giving his best stuff to Bachman.

I also know that Robert Heinlein published under a series of pen names--and very often one SF magazine would publish two, maybe three, of his stories, all under a different name. However, I think the times have changed sufficiently that you have to be pretty damn good in order to get more than one story published in the same magazine--even if you use a pen name. It just seems to me that the competition is a lot higher than it was when Heinlein was doing his mass publishing back in the 40's and 50's.

Of course, I am highly in favor of using a pen name if you are going to write both mature fiction and fiction for YA. But I think we discussed this somewhere else.

One last thing. Stephen King has written extensively on pen names. His (bad) novel, The Dark Half, is about an author who's pen name comes to life. But I would recommend that you pick up a used copy of The Bachman Books. He wrote an introduction to it called, "Why I was Bachman," telling why he did what he did (which I just covered) and how it effected him and his writing.

[This message has been edited by Augustine (edited November 02, 2001).]
 

All those dollars spent on market research can't be all wrong. Eye-level. There was even a sign to that effect in the office of the retailer I once worked as a manager for. So, silly or not it does matter—and the marketing department of any big publisher (and many small ones) is going to pay attention to that.

Pen Names— I have a few. I mostly use SRHowen–yes run together that way. Why? It doesn’t imply male or female, and it is the name I am most known for. I also write under the name Shauna Wolf , Linn Ross, S. James, and a few others. Why? Well, if you sell something to a car magazine–S. James sells better than a female name–sad but true. Romance–Linn Ross for sure. Native American newspapers or fiction? Shauna Wolf. Non-fiction (i.e Diabetic Forecast etc.) SRHowen. Until recently–all my non-fic went under SRHowen. Why do I leave the periods out–looks better S.R.Howen— looks weird in my opinion anyway. And sadly my last name is also hyphenated and people tend to run it together and mangle the pronunciation.

Everyone wants to believe that it is the writing that sells–guess what? It is. But–would you leave spelling errors in a submission, not follow correct format, or use onion skin paper? I don’t think so. But for the writing to sell–someone has to read it—and I for one am going to pay attention to even the small–weird–doesn’t make sense things if it helps that happen.

Shawn
 

Anyhow. Pen names.

Well, with the plays I've written , I've given them to people and to the cast under a pen name, for the purpose of getting a semi-unbiased reaction. However, since these have always been people I know well, they've seen through the ruse right away... :-)

I'm lucky enough to have two middle names, and people don't generally know them. So my pen name is Douglas Sidney.

I think that the basic consensus of this discussion is that a pen name should be accessible, yet distinctive. One's real name might be a hindrance if it is difficult to spell or pronounce in the region in which you are publishing. I, for example, do a lot of work on the internet, and find variations even on simple names when performing searches. Never underestimate people's ability to misspell names. Therefore, if your name is Lyublyancic, the average person will stand no chance of being able to pronounce or remember its spelling.

The other side of the choice is distinctiveness: John Smith simply won't do. Three-name combinations seem to work nicely (Orson Scott Card, Marion Zimmer Bradley...), and it seems to me that the names I remember best are those which seem logical and accessible, yet not jarring (I hate names spelled in trendy ways for the sake of spelling them in trendy ways). Basically, when someone spots your name in the newspaper, hears it on the radio or mentioned by a friend, it should trigger a positive memory. It should be memorable in itself, and draw them to remember (or seek out) your body of work.

Finally, there is an issue I argue about with my wife, over names for our eventual children. She would like to give them names that are uncommon, at least in our area, or more well-known names, but spelled strangely. I'm not convinced. Nor am I convinced that this is a wise way to choose a pen name. OSC's name works well, as a combination of three names, but each is nonetheless almost impossible to misspell or mispronounce -- distinctive yet accessible.

Anyhow, it's the middle of the night and my brain is getting sleepy. I wish I could focus a bit better and be a bit clearer. But such is life. Hope this contributed something to the discussion.

See you!

Take care
-Justin-
 

My problem is that I don't think I would be seriously considered as an author if the first image in a prospective reader's mind is the small blue furry muppet from sesame street. You would not believe how many times in my life someone has said "Near. Far. Near. Far." like they were the first one to think of it.

I realise it is a good "G" name, but it doesn't work for me. I also have considered variations on my last name like Groves, Grove, Groover, Rover, Roven, etc. Paul also is not a strong name. I have considered things like Markus Paulver, or Martin Phillips, etc.

Opinions?

Love, Peace and Chicken Grease,
Sidewayzzzzz
 

On pen names--who knows maybe Grover would be good. At least people would remember it--yeah, yeah, you know, that guy--no not S. Street---Grover that was it.

My name has been mangled so many times I have given up on it. My son Jerod---is now Jerad because that was how people said it no matter how many corrections I made---

Try using initials or a variation. The writng does count---but even editors will foget or mangle a name. The easier your name is to remember, the better your chances are.

IMHO
Shawn

Remember, if you didn't get what you wanted for Christmas, you can always buy it on sale---the day after. Hey, that's today. I better go.