Book writers pen names

Theres a chance it was written by one of your favorite authors. History is full of great authors who wrote under assumed names, for all sorts of different reasons. The idea that someone a year younger than me could have written a book seemed incredible. There are a few reasons why some writers or artists pick pen names. In 1956, he published his first novel, the hunters, which was based on his. I understand the patriarchal undertones that still flow through present society. This is a list of pen names used by notable authors of written work. When horror maestro stephen king started attaining success he was eager.

For stage names the aim is to have a more marketable name that can easily be remembered. Goodreads authorsreaders pen name for erotic fiction. Acclaimed danish writer karen blixen the author of out of africa, a memoir detailing her time living in kenya used a number of pen names throughout her career. Science fiction and mystery pen names are a bit more androgynous while satire writers pick quirkier pseudonyms that leave a lasting impression. Instead of accepting this limitation king instead adopted the pen name richard bachman to write more than one book a year. If you have ever read a book and found yourself thinking that the style and. Lots of authors have pen names, of course, many more than ive. In other words, the book proposal should include your real name, but the actual book probably should not. Throughout history, female authors have published their work under male or genderneutral pen names. Some pen names you dont see coming, though, and assume the name on the book cover is. Since february is renowned for all things romance its creative romance month, national weddings month, and, of course, home to valentines day, the publishing cupids at writers relief thought it might be fun to. A pen name is a name an author uses in place of their real name when publishing.

For centuries, writers have created pen names to publish their literary works. If you are publishing with kindle direct publishing kdp, using a pen name on amazon is very easy. Seuss, one of the more wellknown pen names, was adopted from geisels middle name once he started writing childrens books. Seven legal myths about pen names sidebar saturdays. Actors and artists often use fictitious names, and writers sometimes choose to create under a different persona as well. Generate pen names for yourself or for your fictional characters using our free app. Here are 9 more writers and musicians who used sometimes weird pen names. Why do authors use pseudonyms surprising authors behind famous pen names key criteria to come up with the. Unfortunately there are still a large number of people who have a problem with erotic works.

Kickstart your writing career with this pen name generator that boasts over 1. Authors write under pseudonyms, or pen names, for a variety of reasons. If you publish two books a year and have two pen names, that means one book a year under each pen name. If you have ever read a book and found yourself thinking that the style and way of writing seemed very familiar, it is possible that the book you are reading was actually written by your favorite author only under a pen name. Established authors will do it to cross genres and keep from aggravating their fan bases. But regardless of why one chooses to use a pseudonym, creating a pen name can play an important part in your books marketing.

Writer and illustrator of the captain underpants childrens book series, when author of the dumb bunnies books sue denim is a parody of the word pseudonym sue smith. Most writers have a specific style and a genre that they. Stanley martin lieber got his start writing comic books, but hoped to one day graduate to more serious literary work and wanted to save his real name for that. About pen names small publishers, artists and writers. Chatebooks lists down some of the pros and cons attached to this decision. Xgens with hyphenated surnames opt for something short. It could be for marketing purposes or it could just be for their own comfort. Writers have adopted pseudonyms or pen names to disguise themselves for a number of reasons. Female writers, especially during the 19th century, have. A pen name is a necessity when identity is a matter of national security.

Lets dive into how to come up with cool pen names that will work for your books. Youve written something terrific, but what should you call yourself. Back in the day, they were a necessity for some trying to make it in the publishing industry. Have you ever read a book by a new author and thought the style was familiar. Writers have used pen names or pseudonyms for hundreds of years to protect their identities, change gender or create an image with their names that may not be one that their legal name expresses. However, choosing a pen name is not easy as it might sound. Though the days of women selecting masculine pen names for fear of being unable to publish are predominantly past, authors still frequently write under names that are not their own. Authors write under pen names for all sorts of reasons. The authors real name is likely known to the publisher but not to the public.

So if youre a practicing attorney and dont want your clients or partners to know you write steamy romance novels on. They check how the names sound in different languages, what meaning they have, etc. There are many successful authors who write behind famous pseudonyms. All you need to do is add your new name as the authors name in the contributors section when you are preparing the book for publication. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries. Even if they love the book, they wont share it or comment on it, because its just a book, and they cant forge a relationship with a book. How to use them effectively and avoid problems pea, bruce on.

The surprising stories behind the pen names of 10 famous authors. Click as many times as you like, each click generates 100% randomly and you can switch from female names to male names and. Amanda cross, carolyn gold heilbrun, 20thcentury american. Some authors give themselves a pen name for the purpose of anonymity. Our pen name generator searches every first name and last name in the usa that is thousands upon thousands of possibilities and millions of combinations so if you cant find inspiration here, you wont find it. The techs at web design relief have the answers you need. Many writers use pen namesbut theres a right way and a wrong way to publish your book, stories, poems, or essays under a pseudonym. O ne of the fun things about being a novelist is inventing names for your characters. The more pen names you have, the harder it is to juggle each of those. They want to use a pseudonym to remain anonymous and to write in various genres without confusing their readers.

Some of our literary worlds most beloved, bestselling authors have formulated their entire careers using alternative identities. Choosing a pen name can be a difficult process for writers. Id like to encourage my fellow women writers to feel confident in publishing under traditionally feminine names. How 8 famous writers chose their pen names mental floss. A pen name may be used to make the authors name more. Most authors choose to be open about their pen names. In many cases, a writer will use a pen name for his work and his legal. But you might be able to use another persons pen name as your own if the circumstances are right. Rowling, who have written under male pseudonyms, and discussed their. Some authors write exclusively under their pen name, while others. According to his official website, authors in the 70s and 80s were encouraged to release one book per year in order to avoid saturating the market. Why do some writers choose to write under a pen name. What are the pros and cons of writing under a pen name. For some, such a move was a creative choice, an experiment in anonymity.

The real people behind 10 famous pen names bookstr. Quickly conjure pen names at the touch of a button pen name generator choose your actor name alias generator. A pseudonym also known as a pen name is a name you can give yourself for the purpose of anonymity or just to have a better sounding name. Of all the possible pen names, those used by romance writers are often the most dramatic and unique. For drama writers, more germanic names dominate the genre. King has penned more than 50 novels in his career, but that collection would be smaller if his early publishers had their way. A pen name allows you to write and publish your book anonymously. Like brand names, they are designed to be catchy, memorable and suited to the genre. Here are a few of the many reasons authors use pen names. Do you know the real names of these famous writers. So how do you know if you should use a pen name or not. Adopting a pseudonym grants writers the ability to conceal their true identity for personal, political, and ethical reasons. There are both upsides and downsides to using pen names when writing a book. Even further back than modern literature, authors have adopted pen names.

I have to say some obvious pen names put me off the book before i even read a synopsis. Pen name generator for authors publishing with love. Theodor geisel worked for jackolantern magazine as editorinchief. Other writers have covered pen names before on this blog e. Designing author websites for writers with multiple pen names. How to change your author name to a pen name when selfpublishing. How to choose and set up a pen name vote up 0 vote down reply. Publishers frequently recommend pen names when prolific writers wish to churn out books in quick succession or if they wish to branch into new genres, including populist ones. Use this pen name generator to find unique pen names and pen name ideas.

Author david cornwell started publishing his acclaimed espionage novels. You can let your imagination run free, stripped of. If you are an author and will be writing under a pen name this pen name creator should help you out. Gloria jean watkins adopted the name bell hooks to honor her greatgrandmother, bell blair hooks. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. When you see a familiar authors name on a book cover, you probably feel confident that you know what youre getting. Stephen king was told early in his career that if he wanted to publish more than one book a year he would have to do it under another name and so richard bachman was born. For instance, when author judith reumlet published the first book of her ya urban. A simple reason to prefer a pen name is that writers are often an introverted species. There are also authors who juggle multiple pen names and write in multiple genres. Erika leonard started out by writing fan fiction online under the name snowqueens icedragon. Male names, female names or both, in batches of up to 500. Whatever personal or professional factors might be driving you to use one, there are considerations that you should keep in mind. They do their best to make their names and writing, naturally inimitable.

Youve hit on one of the reasons why some authors use pen names. Below are some examples of famous authors with pen names, the real name of each author, and why or how they chose their alias. For example, often a publisher will negotiate for ownership of a pen name. Pen names and the famous writers who use them the writers. Watkins uses the pen name to speak out about feminism and race. For example, dean koontz lists his various pen names on his website. Wouldnt you be a bit ticked off if you bought stephen kings next book expecting blood, guts and hairraising intensity, only to find out its a weepy romance novel. If your name is lacey darling and youre writing a spy thriller, having a cooler name might influence just enough early buyers to make a difference. If you are wondering how to choose a pen name and where to get started just browse through some of the pen names. Author joanne rowling adopted the more masculine sounding pen name, j.