How To Use A Pen Name

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Many writers use pen names—but there'southward a right way and a wrong way to publish your volume, stories, poems, or essays under a pseudonym. Actors and artists often use fictitious names, and writers sometimes cull to create nether a different persona as well. So how do you know if you should employ a pen proper name or not? What are the advantages and disadvantages of noms de plume for writers? At Author'southward Relief, we know at that place are several good reasons to apply pseudonyms—and at that place are also some reasons not to.

Writing under a fictitious name was a very common practice in the eighteenth century, when writers and journalists used pseudonyms to pen controversial or even illegal articles and letters to the editor. Some examples of writers who apply pen names: Ben Franklin used this practice extensively, and when he used a pen name, he often created an entire character to go on with information technology. Dean Koontz and Stephen King, both prolific writers, used pen names at the suggestion of their publishers to avoid overexposure. And George Eliot was really Mary Ann Evans, who used a male person pen name in order to be taken seriously in a male person-dominated gild.

These days we enjoy more than liberty of expression than ever earlier, and writing under a pen name is more a choice than necessity. If you're a new writer, making the decision to use a pen proper noun is probably non top priority for you, unless you fall under one of the categories beneath. Your chore is to focus on your work, not your name; and yous want to go exposure, not hide your truthful identity. Every bit you begin to build up writing credits, think of yourself as a product. Unless your "make name" truly does not reflect what you want the world to run into, there'south no good reason to protect your identity—unless, of form, you lot're writing an exposé on the mob.

Why Apply A Pen Name?

There are several reasons why writers cull to adopt pen names.

Another author "owns" your name. Your mother was a big fan, and your name is Sylvia Plath.

Your name doesn't fit the genre. Bruiser Ratchet or Belinda Blood may want to choose more romantic names to intermission into the romance genre. (However, Bruiser Ratchet would be a peachy name for a detective/suspense novel writer, and Ms. Blood's name suits the horror genre to a tee.)

You desire to conceal your existent identity. You're a prim and proper physics professor at a large academy only write erotica on the side—under an assumed name, of course. A pen proper name would likewise protect the author from political persecution or prejudice. Imagine writing about homosexuality or fifty-fifty disbelief from a personal perspective in the 1950s without using a pen name.

Your name is too hard to pronounce and/or spell. If your name contains 10 syllables and several Xs and Zs, peradventure a shorter, easier-to-spell name would be in order. And if it tin can be pronounced correctly by the average reader, that would be good. Recall: easy to say, piece of cake to spell, easy to think.

You've been burdened with a truly bad proper name to begin with. Consider Adolf Mussolini. Ima Hogg. Mercedes Binns. Tanya Hyde. You get the picture.

You lot want to cross genres. Anne Rice, famous for her vampire series, uses pen names for her collections of erotica, and she would probably take up a new one if she wanted to motility into Sci-Fi or Westerns.

You've been published earlier, and sales were not good. In this instance, your publisher may suggest a pen name to aid boost sales of your new book (and break the association with the poorly received volume). Other Pen Name Issues

The minute you make up one's mind to take on a nom de plume, be prepared to stick to that name in your correspondence and at writers' conferences and volume signings. Y'all desire people to acquaintance that proper name with y'all, not give them a slew of dissimilar names to retrieve.

Hint: If you practice choose to go with a pen name, choose a name that's not too generic or linked to someone else. Try an online search of your prospective proper noun to meet what comes up. Y'all don't desire your readers to confuse you with the famous foot fungus specialist of the same name.

Literary agents and editors will wait a sure protocol for writers using pen names, especially if submitting a query using a pen proper noun. When sending queries to editors or literary agents, use the name you want to publish under for the byline and use your real name in the information block. If you've been published oft under another name, make reference to information technology in your query ("I've been published previously nether the proper noun ABC, but in my foray into Genre #2, I've decided to use the name XYZ"). In the submission procedure, you don't want to confuse the editor or agent past using multiple names.

When you are ready to sign a contract, make certain your editor and agent know your existent proper name and its correct spelling; your contract should include a space for both names besides. Likewise exist sure that your bank and local mail office are aware of all your personas, or you may have problem cashing checks.

When filing for copyright protection for your writing, use your existent proper name for "Copyright Claimant" and your pen name for "Name of Writer." If you do not want your legal name associated with the pen name, enter only the pen proper noun under "Name of Author" and identify it as such (Lucy Lychuzweckio writing every bit Lucy Smith). Use your pen name for "Copyright Claimant" also. However, if your copyright is held only under your pen name, you can run into legal disputes nearly copyright buying—consult with an attorney.

Want to know more about the legal ramifications of pen names? Read Pen Names II.

Writer'southward Relief has been working with authors who take pen names since 1994. We manage the submission procedure for writers of books, stories, poems, and essays. We help writers connect with literary agents and editors through conscientious, targeted submissions. We've seen some smashing pseudonyms over the years—and we welcome the opportunity to work with y'all, whether you lot have a pen name or not.