What do you think of pen names? I've thought a lot about them because I came into the world with a rather unique name.
Pen Name Pros:
You can keep your professional life and personal life separate. A pen name provides a distinct personality for your writer self. You don't have to sign checks with the same name that you sign autographs.
If you don't like your real name, you can "name yourself" for the cover of your book. Some names are difficult to pronounce or just don't sound that great (no offense to parents). Personally, I think William Carlos Williams could've gone by something that 1) wasn't so long and 2) wasn't the two of the same name with "Carlos" in the middle. However, I must admit it has a nice ring to it...
If you want to write in different genres, a pseudonym may be to your advantage. I've read that it can be difficult to cross genres or age groups as the "same person." If you generally write YA fantasy and decide to switch to MG mystery, you may disappoint and lose some readers. At least, that's what the pros tell me.
Real Name Pros:
If I ever get published, I want to see my name on the cover. Not something like "Mary Jones" or another clever I could come up with. After all the hard work of writing a book, I would love to know it's really me who wrote it.
People I knew from my past will realize I'm not such a failure after all. That's always a nice feeling. Not that most people will be paying much attention to YA novels, but you know.
I won't have to worry about readers finding out what my "real name" is. I have these imagined scenarios of family or friends at a book signing accidentally shouting my real name.
After publicly thinking this through, I've decided that I should convert to my "real" name. The one you know me by now is just a nickname, although some of you already know my "real" name. Anyway, check back to read my post on my non-nickname...name. (Ug, I've been using the word "name" way too many times.) It's important, because I'll be changing my URL to match. (I'll give you fair warning.) Hopefully that won't screw up my blog.
Btw, If you want a more detailed list of pros and cons go here.
So, what do you think of pen v. real names? Got any good insights?
So, what do you think of pen v. real names? Got any good insights?
