This question is one a great
many writers ask themselves and other writers. I think having a
pen name is a personal preference. Some writers like their given
name and want to use it. Others choose a pen name for various
reasons.
My
Personal Story
When I was nine years old, I
used to sign all of my short romance stories, Monica Burns. I
must have known even then that I'd be published one day. When I
began to write seriously with the intent to publish in 2002, I
wanted a name that would put me on the shelf right next to
Amanda Quick. Thus, I came up with the name Elysse Quicksilver.
For almost three years, my career went nowhere, then in the
spring of 2004, I decided to switch my pen name. I just woke up
one day and knew I had to change it. My writing style had
changed, and I needed a new brand. It just so happened that my
writing had shifted to erotic romance, and I realized then that
Monica Burns was perfect for an erotic romance writer. It fit me
well. Within six months I was getting requests for full
manuscripts, finaled in a number of contests and landed my first
ePublishing contract with a release in 2005. Nothing happened
for me until I changed it to Monica Burns. Kismet and destiny I
think.
So, does that mean you’ll
have the same experience? Maybe, maybe not. It will depend on
whether or not you even pick a pen name to use. A pen name is
usually one of choice and personal preference. Obviously my pen
name chose me, but even if it hadn't I wouldn't have wanted to
be published under any of my give names, maiden or married.
They're not good names because they're either difficult to say,
hard to spell or just plain-sounding in nature.
Why Use A Pen Name?
The biggest reason to use a
pen name today is privacy and protection. With all the psychos
in the world, keeping one's private life separate from public
life is a sensible thing to do. While your copyright will be
printed in fine print inside your book, most people either don't
know to look there or forget to do so. I forgot that point just
a few weeks ago when I was reading JR Ward's Black Dagger
Brotherhood series, and I was trying to find out if she'd
written anything other than paranormal. If you're worried about
the copyright, you can always incorporate, which is simple and
fairly inexpensive to do, but the question is how much info is
public or private in a corporation in your locality. Check the
guidelines before you make that decision.
Choosing when to start using
a pen name is going to be based on whether you think you want
one or not. I wish I had used Monica Burns from the get go.
There are still a lot of people out there who know my real name,
and that makes it more difficult to hide from people you don't
want finding you. This doesn’t mean the people who know my real
name will spread that information, but it could happen by
accident. If you think you're going to use a pen name, then pick
one now and start identifying yourself with that name. Writing a
good book gets you published, but the more people who know your
name, the greater your opportunity for building a readership
with that good book. With all the competition out there, your
name needs to be bandied around a lot until people try your
books and then keep coming back for more.
Pen names also allow you to
write in different genres. It helps identify you to the reader.
For example, Jayne Anne Krentz, Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick
are the same person. But each name represents a particular type
of book to readers. I love Amanda Quick books, but I’m not wild
about Jayne's contemporary books under her real name. They’re
well written, but they’re not my first choice in reading. I've
not tried her Jayne Castle ones, although I hope too in the
future.
How to
Select A Pen Name
I think selecting a pen name
is a lot easier than deciding if you want to use one or not.
Treat it as if you were about to name a new baby or one of your
characters. Come up with some names you like. Then take a
serious look at them and see what they mean. For instance,
Monica comes from the Latin and Greek and means advisor/counsel.
That also goes along with my Zodiac sign. I'm a Libra and like
helping people. So Monica works well for me. Burns...I haven't a
clue as to how I knew I was going to be writing erotic romance
when I was a nine, but when you think about it, Burns is the
perfect last name for an erotic romance writer. I do admit to
being market savvy back then though. I remember thinking that if
my last name started with “B” I'd be close to the top shelf.
Although now days that will vary depending on the bookstore.
So when you pick out your
names to consider, do it with several things in mind...
- You have to like the
name — after all you're creating this persona
- Does it fit you
personality wise — remember people are going to be calling
you this to your face, not just seeing it on a book cover
- How hard is it to say?
- Does it jive with the
style of writing you have i.e., if you write chick-lit, will
Danielle Bouiver really sound snarky and hip? Or is it too
romantic and dainty sounding?
- While the alphabet
issue might not be all that big of a deal in terms of the
shelf, it’s still something to consider. Is “A” a better
choice because it’s going to sit high up on the shelf, or is
“Z” the way to go?
These are just some of the
things to considering when picking a pen name. There are some
who will tell you that publishers might make you change your pen
name. This might be true, but it’s generally limited to
publishers like Harlequin. If you’re established in ePrint
and/or small press, it’s unlikely a New York house is going to
make you change your name and lose that readership you’ve
already built.
So what’s it going to be? A
pen name or your real name? You’re the best one to answer that
question because my decision was made a long time ago by a girl
with big dreams and a gift for knowing what was to come.
