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Should You Use a Pseudonym?
by
Moira Allen
As a writer, you naturally want
to make a name for yourself. But what if that name isn't the one
you were born with? Writing under pseudonyms or "pen names"
is a fine and honored tradition; many of the greatest names in
literature were "invented," and many of today's bestselling
authors use pseudonyms as well. Should you?
The answer may
depend on why you wish to do so. As with any writing decision,
there are good reasons and bad reasons to use a pen name. Let's
start with some of the bad reasons:
"I'd like
something more exotic." This often involves an assumption
that editors (or readers) will be more "impressed" by
a more interesting name. They won't. Let your writing impress
them, and soon your name will be considered "impressive"
in its own right.
"I'd like
a name that reflects my inner self." This depends on who
your inner self happens to be. While a name like "Merlin
Firecat" or "Lady Starshine" may reflect something deep within you, it
is likely to convey an impression of amateurism to an editor.
If you want a pseudonym, keep it professional.
"I don't
want anyone to know that I'm the author." Most editors have
little tolerance for writers who want to "hide" behind
a false name. If you're presenting a controversial opinion, you
should be willing to defend it. If you're writing in a genre you
fear others won't respect, keep in mind that this is their problem,
not yours. And finally, if you're writing material that you feel
ashamed of, it's probably better to change the material than to
change your name.
"I don't
want my relatives/friends/coworkers to know that I'm writing about
them." A pseudonym won't protect you from the legal repercussions
of writing about other people -- e.g., from charges of slander
or libel. Rather than disguise your own identity, it would be
wiser to thoroughly disguise the identities of your subjects,
so that no one will think you are writing about "them"
in the first place.
"No one
will respect me because I'm a ------ (fill in the blank)."
The days of having to write under a male pseudonym simply because
you're a woman are long past. Today, there is no need to call
yourself "Georges Sand" when "Aurore Dupin" will do just
as well. Nor, theoretically, should you feel it necessary to conceal
your race, ethnicity, or culture behind
a pseudonym. However, your own experience may be the best determinant
in this regard.
There are also
a number of very good reasons to use a pseudonym:
Your writing
could interfere with other aspects of your career. Sadly, some
careers don't mix well with the writing life. If you're a well-respected
literature teacher by day and a writer of what your colleagues
(and supervisors) might consider decidedly "non-literary"
fiction by night, you may have good reason to use a pseudonym.
Many writers find a pen name to be an excellent, and necessary,
way to separate their writing careers from their day jobs.
You write in
more than one genre or field. Writers who have tried to "cross genres" often find the
results disappointing. Agents and publishers also may prefer
that a writer use different names for different genres; Dean Koontz,
for example, has used several pseudonyms in the past (but no longer
does so). Rather than confusing your readership, it may be better
to develop separate and distinct followings.
You write in
a genre that has "expectations" about its authors. When
was the last time you saw a romance novel by "Jake Hammersmith"
or a hard-core thriller by "Felicity Valentine"? In
certain genres, writers often prefer to conform to reader expectations
(or may be required to do so by their publishers).
You have a history
of failure. More than one writer has penned a series of flops
(or even a single less-than-successful novel), and gone on to
write bestsellers under a different name. If an editor or agent
is likely to associate your name with previous failures, it might
be wise to try a different moniker. Just don't try to reissue
those "flops" after your new name becomes successful!
You have the
same name as an existing author. If your name is Stephen King,
Anne Rice, or J. D. Salinger, your publisher may require you to
"change" it to avoid confusion. Sometimes you can get
away with a variation on your name -- for example, by writing
as S. B. King or A. Gloria Rice (presuming those are actually
your middle names).
You are writing
a collaborative work. Often, collaborative authors will invent
a pseudonym to convey the impression that a book was written by
a single author. For example, Robert Silverberg and Randall Garrett
collaborated under the name "Robert Randall."
You are using
a publisher's "house name." Some pseudonyms -- such
as "V. C. Andrews" -- are owned by the publisher. In
this case, the pseudonym is generally a trademark. Authors who
write under such house names are usually creating works-for-hire
(i.e., you won't be able to claim such a work under your own name
at a later time).
You hate your
name. Under some circumstances, having a "rotten" name
can be reason enough to use a pseudonym. For example, if your
name is Lila Latrine or Barnaby Backhouse, you might want a more
literary nom de plume. The same might apply if your name is difficult
to pronounce or to spell (and therefore difficult for readers
to remember or "ask for" at the bookstore); for example,
Dennis Max Cornelius Woodruffe-Peacock sensibly chose to write as "Max Peacock."
You write for
competing publications. After reading this article in Inklings,
Carolee Boyles points out that another
good reason for using a pen name is when writing for competiting publications in the same field. "I'm well-known
in a very small industry, and the trade magazines in this industry
are very competitive. I write for one magazine under my own name.
About a year ago, another approached me about writing for them,
but because my name was on the masthead of the first magazine,
I had to turn them down. They went to my original editor and asked
if it would be OK for me to write for them under another name.
So I'm Carolee Boyles (myself) at
one magazine, Marjorie Sessions at another, and I'm about to become
Max MacKenzie at a third . The editors all know what I'm doing,
but I don't mix topics between the magazines, and I keep the names
separate. It all works out to everyone's benefit."
The
Logistics of Pseudonyms
Often, writing
under a pseudonym is as easy as putting the phrase "writing
as" on your manuscript. For articles, short stories, and
poetry, you can simply put your real name in the upper left corner
of your manuscript (or on the cover page), and list your pen name
as your byline beneath the title. However, to ensure that your
editor publishes the work under the "correct" name,
you may want to remind the editor in your cover letter that you
are "writing as" your pseudonym.
The Copyright
Office offers several ways to register pseudonymous works. The
first, and safest, is to record your legal name under "name
of author," followed by your pseudonym (e.g., "Mary
Smith, writing as Marianne Carmichael"). You should also
check "yes" to the question, "Was this author's
contribution to the work pseudonymous?" If you don't wish
to reveal your identity, you can either provide your pseudonym only and identify it as such
(e.g., "Marianne Carmichael, pseudonym") or leave the
author space blank. You can also use your pseudonym in the "copyright
claimant" line, though the Copyright Office warns that using
a fictitious name here could raise legal problems regarding ownership
of the copyright and suggests that you consult a lawyer first.
Unfortunately,
it is no longer as easy to keep your real name a secret from your
publishers. In the past, one could often use a pseudonym for all
editorial correspondence, and simply make an arrangement with
one's bank to have checks deposited under one's pen name. Now,
however, publishers are required to inform the IRS (via Form 1099)
of payments made to writers, which means that they must have your
social security number and your real name. However, if you are
using an agent, you may be able to handle such payments through
your agent and not reveal your identity to publishers.
The
final thing to keep in mind when using a pseudonym is that it
will not protect you from any legal action that might result from
your writing. A pseudonym has no existence as a "legal"
entity; no matter what name you put on your work, the ultimate
responsibility for that work always rests on you.
For more information
on using pseudonyms:
Author Pseudonyms
- http://www.myunicorn.com/pseudos.html
Directories of
Pseudonyms of Mystery and Suspense Writers - http://www.hycyber.com/MYST/pseudo_dir.html
Library of Congress
Copyright Office - http://www.loc.gov
Go to this page and look for "Pseudonyms,"
then click on the PDF link to download the fact sheet on using
pseudonyms. Or download the file directly at http://www.lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/fls/fl101.pdf.
Pen Names - http://www.ivanhoffman.com/pennames.html
Information on the legal and copyright
issues involved in using a pseudonym.
Pseudonyms (speculative
fiction) - http://ebbs.english.vt.edu/20th/etudes/swenson/pseudonyms.html
This Article was found
at: http://www.articleblast.com/
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