Should you write under a pen name?
By Amanda J. Clay
A question a lot of authors have starting out is should you write under a pseudonym, or pen name? There really isn’t a right or wrong answer to this one. It entirely depends on your personal preferences and circumstances, and there are some pros and cons to each choice. I personally write under a pen name and I actually might make a different choice if I were doing it now!
Reasons you might WANT to write under a pen name.
Privacy
I think the main reason most writers choose a pseudonym is to keep their personal and private lives separate. I know many romance and erotica authors who choose to do this because they don’t want their kids, school, day jobs, etc. to know they write sexy books. Historically, there has been a stigma against these kinds of books and many romance authors (traditionally women, but that’s changing!) don’t want to manage the judgement. But, this could really apply to any genre. You just might not want to explain your space opera or gritty crime thriller books at your next dinner party. I’m proud of my books but even so I sometimes have to discourage sensitive relatives from reading them.
Even if you are perfectly proud for everyone in your life to know what you write, you still might want to keep a separation from your readers, not wanting them to look up your address or find you on Facebook. If you are out there in the public, it doesn’t take long for readers to start Googling you. If you have a family or day job, you might choose to protect their privacy by maintaining separation.
Choosing something more memorable or catchy
Another reason you might want a pen name is to just sound better. Think of it as your stage name. Maybe your real name is cumbersome or hard to spell. Maybe you want something that sounds more like the genre you write in. Or maybe you just always wanted your name to be Regina Phalange. Well here’s your chance! (If I could go back, I would have chosen a WAY cooler name for myself).
Hiding your gender
Personally, I think times have changed a LOT when it comes to how readers perceive the gender of an author. However, once upon a time readers had strong opinions about certain genres—reading romance from male writers or hard sci-fi from women, for example. J.K. Rowling famously chose to write under initials so that she would be gender neutral, fearing boys wouldn’t buy a fantasy novel from a female writer. Is this still a thing? Maybe. Who knows. But along the lines of just keeping your identity private, you just might not want readers to know how you identify.
Some of the downsides to writing under a pen name.
It can get confusing.
You will have to decide how you want to be known in certain circles—do you go by Regina Phalange only with readers? With other writers? At conferences? Do you change all of your social media accounts to reflect your pen name or your real name? For me, anywhere my primary purpose is to represent my author brand (so Instagram, TikTok, Conferences) I use my pen name. If I’m there to interact with family or peers, such as on Facebook or other non-writing social groups, I use my real name. Sounds easy enough, but there are times it gets fuzzy.
Finances
A pen name can also cause some annoyances with finances. When it comes to contracts, royalties, getting paid, financing a house, etc., you will have to be prepared to prove you are “doing business as” your alter ego. It’s not difficult to set up and obviously plenty of people have navigated the obstacles, but you should keep it in mind.
Long term identity
You might also decide down the road you hate your pen name. And if you’ve been lucky to have some success, you’re KINDA stuck with it unless you decide to start over. This personally happened to me. Amanda is my real name, but Clay is not. I chose it for a reason when I did, but later regretted it. Unfortunately I had built a “name” for myself and ultimately decided it was easier to keep it. So choose wisely!
Some other things to consider when deciding on a pen name:
- Is the name easy to remember or spell? Will readers be able to easily find you online?
- Rethink initials. They are common, but they can actually cause some headache for readers searching (was there a period or not in those initials? Was it AR or RA?)
- Is it a name you can live with being called FOREVER if you get super famous?
- Is there any good reason why you shouldn’t just use your real name?
- And not to be dark (but hey, I write domestic thrillers), if you choose to write under a married name, are you good with that name should anything ever change? It’s not something you want to think about, but it happens. A very successful friend of mine who is published under her married name is going through a divorce and will forever have her husband’s name as her brand.
What do you think? Are you going to or have you already published under a pen name or real name?
Amanda J. Clay writes gripping mysteries and twisty domestic thrillers with complex, kick-butt female leads designed to keep you up all night, including the twisty Pt. Redwood mystery series. When she’s not staring at a computer screen, she is part of the fabulous team that puts on the San Francisco Writers Conference. She currently lives in Nashville, TN with her dashing, real-life hero of a husband, who inspires her villains and heroes alike, and their hellion of a daughter.
