Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Pen Names

This is topic Pen Names in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Alexis (Member # 2687) on :

Pseudonyms, nom de plumes...what do you all think of them? When is it appropriate (if ever) to use one - if you have a boring or difficult name? Is it ever appropriate to assume another gender through your pen name? How effective are pen names at actually hiding a writer's identity?
Have any of you used pen names to publish work? What were your experiences?
Is there a really cool name you've always wanted to use? (or if you had to use a pen name, what would it be?)

Edit: Just realized that this has been brought up before, but that was more than a year ago and I post this in the hopes of fresh input.

[This message has been edited by Alexis (edited June 29, 2005).]

Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :

I don't see anything wrong with them, for any reason except hiding from the law! I use a pen name because I don't think "Briggs" sounds very poetic. But I don't want a secret identity.

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

My real last name puts me comfortably close to Niven and Norton, so why use anything else?

I love Harlan Ellison's pen name Cordwainer Bird, which he uses only when somebody pisses him off, thereby flipping them the bird. Only from Ellison, that.

Edited to correct spelling.

[This message has been edited by Spaceman (edited July 07, 2005).]

Posted by Thieftess (Member # 1683) on :

Well, I've thought about it...based on the fact that my first contract was for an alphabet book.

Assuming someday I want to write horror or romance with any explicit scenes (which is not entirely out of the question...it was more out of the question for a dark fantacist to write an ABC book!) then I might consider a pseudonym.

However, I'm also hoping that I just get SO much stuff out there that I can be like Neil Gaiman and do whatever I want.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Alethea

Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :

I'm considering a pen name because my last name begins with V, which would put my books WAY at the end and the bottom of the genre section.

Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :

You will be right before me! I'm a W.

Posted by Jeraliey (Member # 2147) on :

Yeah, but think of all those future authors with end-of-the-alphabet names who will have your big names to piggy-back off of!

"Whoa, Dakota's at the end here! I'm glad my name starts with a V so I'll get some of the attention she draws!"

[This message has been edited by Jeraliey (edited June 30, 2005).]

Posted by Thieftess (Member # 1683) on :

Don't consider where you'll be...consider who you'll be next to.

Vivian van Velde...Vernor & Joan D. Vinge...Kurt Vonnegut (depending on how things are shelved) -- the V's ain't so shabby.

Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :

I think I read it is advantagous for the writer's name to be at either end of the alphabet. That's where readers would browse first. In that case with a name like "Owens" that unfortuntely puts me smack dab in the middle...

Posted by NewsBys (Member # 1950) on :

When I went to a writer's workshop in April, Dennis Danvers had this to say:

quote:
On pen names:
Mr. Danvers pointed out a less obvious advantage to pen names.
He is publishing his next novel under the name Robert Sydney. He said that some large chain bookstores stock new authors at a greater volume then authors whose last book only made a small number of sales.
He was advised by his agent that the chain store’s computer system tries to estimate the number of books to order, by the number the author last sold.
His first few novels had a smaller reader base. This caused his last book to not be adequately stocked in Richmond bookstores, despite his last book being about Richmond, by a Richmonder and had large demand from Richmond readers.
FYI - I can attest to the fact that his latest book was hard to find, I bought it from Amazon.

Now, after Mr. Danvers pointed it out, I can see what he meant.
I have run into this in trying to find Autumn Bridge by TAKASHI MATSUOKA. I liked his first book (Cloud of Sparrows) a lot. Barnes and Nobles overstocked it and had to put the extras on clearance. But now I can't find his second book at any bookstore. I had to order it from Amazon.

Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :

I originally developed my pen name as my character name in a work of autobiographical fiction. But then I changed the name of the character, and I like the pen name. Also, I want to make it semi-difficult for people to stalk me. So my book is about Florence written by Franc (short for Frances), which isn't my real name either.

Something I realized after choosing my pen name: my real middle name is generally considered to be unpronounceable, so for years when giving my name to clerks I would say my middle initial was "F, as in Frank".

My last name- I wanted to have a chinese last name because I think my ethnicity will always be a selling point (if I ever get around to submitting something.) Li is a translation of my real last name. My married name, though, and not my born name. It was also my Grandmother's surname.

So, that's probably why they grew on me. I mean, I toyed with Leigh Yuan for a while, but that one didn't stick.

As for my real name- it is one that fell out of favor due to the misfortunes of some very famous people. And my born surname was mocked mercilessly by my Latin teacher whenever I was absent in 8th grade. And people pronounce it wrong a lot.

Posted by Alexis (Member # 2687) on :

Very interesting. I'd never considered using a pen name for shelf-location purposes. It would be funny if every writer used a pen name that began with A -- we might see a bunch of names like "Abel Aaronson" or something.

My name is hyphonated, and I fear that readers, like my teachers and peers, might assume my mother (or me when I'm older, if I'm unmarried) combined names. The hyphon is in fact the result long story involving two guys and an Indian princess that dates back to the civil war. So yeah, I might use a pen name eventually.

[This message has been edited by Alexis (edited June 30, 2005).]

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

I've considered trying to make up a pen name for myself for two reasons: First, alphabetical order. My last name is Patridge, that's just about as middle of the shelf as you can get. Second, the name itself. Patridge and Partridge are too much alike, and I don't want a reader to go looking for a book written by Partridge, when I'm actually Patridge.

The problem is that I still want to keep my initials the same in my pen name as they are in my real name. A L P. I like those initials

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

You could always pen under the name Partridge.

Posted by TheoPhileo (Member # 1914) on :

My real name lands me just a bit before Grisham, so I think I'll stick with it (though I suppose it depends what I publish first... If it's a work that will permanently park me in the sf/fantasy section, then goodye, John G. I write a fairly broad spectrum of genres, though, including non fiction)

Posted by autumnmuse (Member # 2136) on :

That's one thing I love about my married name. My last name growing up was a rare Italian name, Marmaro, which would put me in the middle of the alphabet and everyone would pronounce it wrong. Although I have to say quite a few of my favorite authors have 'M' names, so that didn't bother me too much. But my married name is Dryden, and of course John Dryden was a famous author and poet, so it seems apropos. I love the way Dryden sounds. It reminds me of 'dryad'--a wood nymph.

So I'm not going to use a pen name, but I will use my first initial instead of the whole name, then my real middle and last name.

Posted by cicero (Member # 1602) on :

I've often been told that my real name would be well-suited to science fiction writing (my middle name is Orion, and last name places me nearly adjacent to Arthur C. Clarke), but don't feel particularly comfortable using an extended name.

As an alternative, I've considered S. A. Wright (Sophie Arete Wright), which is a combination of the alternate name my parents chose (were I female) and my grandmother's last name.

Time will tell, I suppose . . .

[This message has been edited by cicero (edited July 05, 2005).]

Posted by KatFeete (Member # 2161) on :

There's a couple of reasons to publish under a pen name:

1) Being nice to your readers. Wen Spencer, for example, publishes under her maiden name because she married a Pole and would like us all to be able to spell and pronounce her name.

2) Writing in more than one genre. Agents and publishers often want a writer to do different genres under different names to avoid confusion and problems (an sf writer trying to publish as mainstream may face the "he writes that stuff with spaceships, I don't read that" problem, for example, and big stores like Barnes and Noble will frequently file books where they've decided that author belongs regardless of the book.) Some writers are more transparent than others. Iain Banks writes mainstream as Iain M. Banks, which fools the B&N computers and no one else.

3) Restarting a "dead" career. A writer whose books haven't sold well gets blacklisted from the big stores' computers and thus from the publishers. Changing the name fixes this and gets rid of what a writer I know calls the "eau de failure". Publishers are, incidentally, usually a willing partner to such deceptions.

4) Freedom. Though this is less a problem now, getting published freely was the reason many 19th century women published as "anonymous" or, like George Eliot, under a male psuedonym. It's probably the reason Andre Norton published under an androgenous psuedonym (her real name was Alice) and the reason another Alice not only published under the name James Tiptree Jr. but deliberately concealed her identity for many years. Many people have speculated that Paul Linebarger, who published under several psuedonyms (most notably Cordwainer Smith) was afraid that the government would interfere with his writing if they knew about it; his "real" job was as a US diplomat. Tiptree, who held a job at the Pentagon, may have had similar fears.

More importantly, both of those writers were deeply private people; I've seen it suggested that the creation of a public persona was important to them for psychological reasons, that another's name gave them the freedom to write inside. Neither ever published any stories under their real names. This is perhaps the hardest to explain and easiest to accept reason for a pen name.

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

I was talking to someone about my name and it's hapless position in alphabetical order and (as far as I was aware) lack of existing famous authors within the genre of Science Fiction who I would be close to on the bookshelf, and they told me that there ARE many famous "P" names in Science Fiction... They offered one name, but I can't remember what it was... Any of you guys know any famous "P" names in SF?

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

Frederick Pohl and Jerry Pournell to name two.

Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :

Personally, I'm kind of surprised that having a Polish last name is considered being unkind to your readers.

Posted by Rahl22 (Member # 1411) on :

OSC picked mine because I though my last name "Hanson" was too dull and too close to the middle of the alphabet. My first name is Oliver and I like it just fine. He asked me what my middle name was and I responded, "Dale" and he smiled and said, that's it.

So, I've been "Oliver Dale" ever since. Has much more cadence, I think, the last name is short enough that it would be large on the front cover such that you could see it in the bookstore at a distance, and it's near the top shelf.

Posted by Ahavah (Member # 2599) on :

I'm glad someone started this thread!

I've contemplated creating a pen name, but I don't really know how to go about doing it well. My last name seems difficult for most people, plus I'm one of those folks who eventually hopes to genre-cross. I'm also looking into doing magazine articles, and I think I'd like a different name for that than for my fiction, but I'd probably use my real name for the mags.

I did used to write severely stoopid parodies, etc., back in high school under the name of my alter-ego, Guiseppe D. Turtle. I don't think that's a good professional name, though. I've been stuck on how to pick a good one that flows properly.

Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :

My current plan is to use all three of my names, the same way I do for stage. Mary Robinette Kowal. I might hyphenate Mary-Robinette because I get tired of people thinking it's my maiden name. I might also respell the last name to "Cowall" in an effort get people to pronounce it correctly. (Think Kowalski, without the ski)

I came up with a pen name based on my maiden name, Harrison, way back in high school. I say I came up with it, but somehow people seemed to mishear Mary Harrison as Marian Harris. I sort of like Marian Harris and if I ever have a publisher suggest that I need to use a psuedonym for some reason, that's the one I'll pick first. But until I have an agent or publisher who suggests that, and gives me reasons why, I'll stick with my own name.

Oh, Avahah? Guiseppe D. Turtle isn't any less professional than "Lemony Snicket."

[This message has been edited by MaryRobinette (edited July 07, 2005).]

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

I have a short name and good neighbors on the bookshelf. The only thing I might do is immitate Harlan Ellison and use a pen name if somebody gets me upset. So, if you ever see Lester Flippit, that'll be me.

Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :

I was mulling the pen name issue over and thought it would be fun to have something that looks normal when you read it, but when you say it aloud you pick up the joke... like Bette Onnett.

I don't MIND my real surname of BUCE and since I do genealogy it would be sorta fun to troll for relatives if I ever make it to the big time. But I get sooo annoyed that people just can't seem to understand that yes, I DO know how to spell my own last name. It is NOT "Bruce" with an "R" in it. It's like people think I surely must have been mistaken when I wrote my name out for them.

Ahh well. I had the same problems when I was married and had the more common last name of Elwood. THAT threw people off, too.

Since my WIP is co-authored with a friend, we may choose to pick a single pen name. Or we could both take pen names. Hmm... I dunno. I wasn't going to worry about it until I am ready to submit the WIP to a publisher.

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

I might just keep the "P" then. Oh, and Spaceman, the name "Pohl" was the one she gave me... Once I saw it, I remembered it. Heh.

Still need to come up with a pen name though that I could agree with... I don't want to be publishing as Andrew L. Patridge or Andrew Lehi Patridge or Al Partridge or anything else that is really long like that...

Hmm... now that I think about it, I use the name "Drew Lee" on the Undernet IRC network... Maybe I could see myself publishing under that. What do the "L" names look like in SF?

Posted by autumnmuse (Member # 2136) on :

Le Guin, L'Engle. Don't forget you'll be next to M as well, which means you've got McCaffrey, McKillip, McKinley. Interestingly, those are all women. Huh.

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

There is someone out there named Katherine Woodbury who has been published a few times in small press publications.

And it drives me a little crazy when someone congratulates me on one of her publications.

I'd actually rather not use a pen name, but I may have to.

Posted by Isaiah13 (Member # 2283) on :

LOL. I actually came across that name (in the Leading Edge, I think) and wondered if it was you.

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

I rest my case.

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

Heh. Poor KDW. I guess having names close to other people might not always be all that great XD

I guess the "best" would be to be close to someone famous, but not so close as to make it hard to tell the difference.

In KDW's case, this other person isn't famous, but she has been getting published, and people have been getting her confused with KDW...

Ick. I just realized there's an actor that uses the screen name Drew Lee... Back to the drawing board for me.

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

Woodbury Dalton sounds like a great pen name.

Posted by Shendülféa (Member # 2408) on :

I'd use a penname because my real name doesn't sound like a fantasy author's name. :/ My problem is that I can't think of a good name. :?

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

quote:
Woodbury Dalton sounds like a great pen name.

Hmm.

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

I'm having the same problem Shen. Maybe I could try to help you and you could try to help me.

If your screen name here wasn't a tongue twister I would think it'd sound pretty neat as a pen name, personally.

Anyways... I don't know you very well in order to come up with your pen name!

Well, at least you aren't alone with wanting a pen name but not being able to come up with one.

Posted by Jeraliey (Member # 2147) on :

I figure I'll just go with the classic female-scifi-writers thing: My first two initials with my last name. It's not the most poetic name, but I like it.

Although the first name/middle name idea is kinda cool. I love my middle name.

Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :

How about "Dalton Woodbury" for Kathleen?

I'd suggest a nickname version of Kathleen, like Katie... but if you feel the same way about being called Katie that I feel about being called Susie, it wouldn't work.

Posted by Shendülféa (Member # 2408) on :

quote:
I'm having the same problem Shen. Maybe I could try to help you and you could try to help me.
If your screen name here wasn't a tongue twister I would think it'd sound pretty neat as a pen name, personally.
Anyways... I don't know you very well in order to come up with your pen name!
Well, at least you aren't alone with wanting a pen name but not being able to come up with one.

Hmm...I never thought to use my screen name. Then again, it's the name of one of the characters in one of my novels--a minor character, though, who dies within a few paragraphs. I just like the name, so that's why I use it.

When I was trying to come up with some pen names, I decided that perhaps it should be something that relates to the major themes that are usually present in most of my stories. What I mean is: you know how names usually have meanings? I was trying to find a name I liked who's meaning reflected the theme or themes of my stories. I still haven't found a name I like yet. But then perhaps I'm not looking hard enough. :/

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

Elan, I like Kat or Kate as a nickname, but not Kathy or Katie.

(My favorite Shakespeare play is TAMING OF THE SHREW because I think Kate is way cool.)

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

Well, looking at it that way, probably my biggest theme right now is the corruptibility of societies. But I hardly consider that something to name myself for.

I tend towards writing rather dark fiction, insofar as its interpretation of the human condition is concerned. In other words, my stories are pessimistic.

SO... I guess that I'm looking for a name that people would equate with pessimism, nay?

Posted by Ahavah (Member # 2599) on :

D-
How about N. Ornery Brooder?

Or Anri, if you don't want to be so obvious

Posted by pixydust (Member # 2311) on :

This is fun. I'm going to be watching for all these names now.

KDW-I like the Woodbury Dalton. It's actually very poetic. Very writer-ly.

I'm boring. I actually love my name, but I've decided to go with the first two initials and then the last name because I don't want to be automatically known as a woman. A little obvious, but it's short and easy to remember. R.A. Marks. Maybe someday I might actually get to see it in print.

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

How about R.E.Marks?

Posted by Shendülféa (Member # 2408) on :

Yeah, I was thinking about just using my first two initials and then my last name, but if I can find a good pen name, I'll use that.

Posted by pixydust (Member # 2311) on :

Very funny Spaceman...

Now I'm always gonna think that when I type my name.

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

quote:
D-
How about N. Ornery Brooder?

Or Anri, if you don't want to be so obvious

Very cute, Ahavah, but not really my cup o'tea.

The Anri is cool though. Anri L. Pessum maybe?

Woot! I think I like that one. Hehe.

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

"Anri", that reminds me of the Osly Debootitec thing

Posted by JmariC (Member # 2698) on :

On the line of funny pen names:
Sue Dinumb

Posted by Ahavah (Member # 2599) on :

Rider S. Block

Yeah, this is about the only thing I'm good for.

I'll keep a look out for Anri L. Pessum. You just watch for G. Della Tartaruga :P

Posted by Warbric (Member # 2178) on :

Pardon for resurrecting a thread, but at least it's not too very old.

I'm collaborating on an idea (I know. I know. It's a minefield.) and I was wondering what others think about the chances of a book with two authors' names on the cover. Does that hurt sales, especially when both are first-timers? I keep reading that it can hurt, even when one or both of the collaborators are big name authors.

Would using a pseudonym be more appropriate in such a case?

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

Why don't you ask Niven and Pournelle?

Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :

A friend of mine just got a mystery published that she cowrote with her brother. They used a pseudonym, I think because they'd been advised to.

Personally, I hardly ever read books that I know are co-written; the ones I have read have been so awkward and muddled that I avoid them. So can I have 2 votes for pseudonym, please?

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

It makes no difference to me.

Posted by TL 601 (Member # 2730) on :

Okay this might sound ridiculous, but because, for me, professional publication is inevitable and imminent (*snicker*) I have been giving serious consideration to a pen name.

I settled LONG ago on being called TL Lance (as many of you, no doubt, have guessed).

But what about this ...

Mono.

Would publishing fiction with such a name make me seem mentally ill?

Cause I think it'd be cool.

One thing I have already decided is that I don't really want readers to know anything about me, and hence I will be reticent when it comes to those little author bios that usually accompany your short story / play / novel / whatever.

Will publishers be cool with it if I don't want any kind of bio appearing with my stories?

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

Right now, and pretty much always, I really want to publish under my own name...though I have several possible pseudonyms waiting on the on ramp of my mind.

A lot of it happens to be ego. How will anybody know it's me if I publish under another name? What if they like that person better than me?

Even here, ego is in play. "Robert Nowall" happens to be my real name. I've never been crazy about posting under another name, no matter how obviously fake or meaningful to the writer, though I know it's the custom. I gotta be me.

The only time I've ever submitted something under a pen name? Back in the early eighties, I wrote a Harlequin Romance, and those things are universally published under names ostensibly those of women. (Badly written and plotted; written in a week to prove I could write fifty thousand words in a week; lotsa rejections; never published, mercifully; but worth the experimenting.)

Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :

TL, if you pick a name like "Mono" it will either just get laughed at, or if it takes off, will generate more curiosity and mystery about who you are, which will make more people do more poking around to try to find out, which I think is the opposite of what you're trying to do. If you really want to be anonymous, pick a dull name. Robert T. Smith.

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

And say something about having cats in your bio.

Posted by TL 601 (Member # 2730) on :

Mono lives alone with his cats Chester and Gita on a hill overlooking an overturned tree. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in the fall of 1995. His favorite food is granola.

Posted by Lullaby Lady (Member # 1840) on :

Whenever I see the name "Robert Smith" I think of "The Cure."

I was wondering what you folks think about "Lemony Snicket" and his "persona" he takes on as part of his books. (A Series of Unfortuate Events.) My kids love the series, though they tend to drive me batty. I am distracted by the author's interjections in the middle of the prose. (If you have not read them, he stops in the middle of things to define a big word. He also seems to enjoy drawing attention to himself-- or, er, his persona/nom de plume.)

What think, ye? Is he just being original, and I'm an old stick-in-the-mud? Or does this bug anyone else?

~LL

Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :

I think L.S. is goofy fun, but I really really hope that those books don't inspire generations of writers to write like that.

Posted by pixydust (Member # 2311) on :

I'm not too fond of his writing, but no one can ignore that vivid/dark imagination.

TL: LOL! That's perfect!

Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :

I once considered using a pseudonym, and had a few choices picked out, but I've since outgrowned it. Part of it, like Robert said, is the ego factor: How will anyone know it's me if my name isn't on the cover in big, bold letters? Another part of it is that to me (and keep in mind: what do I know?) a pen name seems a little cowardly, as if a writer doesn't have enough faith in his work to put his name behind it.

But in case I change my mind (or chicken out of using my name ), keep a lookout for a writer with the initials CVG, or any combination thereof. Most of my pseudonyms (except for Mack Pryor, which I can't begin to explain ) fell under that category.

Posted by TL 601 (Member # 2730) on :

The best author bio I ever read was Michael McDowell (writer of Beetlejuice and Toplin [btw a BRILLIANT novel]) which said:

Michael McDowell spends his days staring out the window in the hope that something interesting will happen.

And there was a picture of the author staring out a window looking depressed.

(just going by memory, here)

I thought it was genius.