There are certain questions writers frequently ask me. “Should I use a pseudonym?” Is one of them.
I’ve got my opinion on the matter—especially when it comes to nonfiction authorship.
I believe nonfiction writers will find it difficult to promote their books under psuedonyms. Think about it… Are you going to get up on stage and speak about your book, call yourself something other than your real name, and allow people to take your picture? Think about it… In this digital age, eventually, you will be recognized. You’ll be found out.
Therefore, if you want to use a pseudonym, I recommend being upfront about it. Tell people you are using a pen name and explain why. Once you’ve done that, however, what’s the point? You might as well use your real name!
That said, there definitely are times when a pen name might be appropriate—like if you are an elementary school teacher who writes erotica, for example. Or if you are writing a memoir about your life as a mafia hit man’s wife.
While I have always felt pretty confident about my perspective on the use a pseudonym vs. don’t use a pseudonym debate, I thought I’d reach out to those whose opinions hold more weight—literary agents. After all, they have to work with writers who might want to use pen names and represent these writers and their choices to publishers.
I asked four literary agents that I know and trust to provide their point of view on the topic of using pseudonyms. Here are their responses.
On Pseudonyms
Peter Beren (www.peterberen.com) replied with a historical overview of the issue that offers reasons why authors have taken pen names in the past.
Pseudonyms are accepted and rich part of literary history. The reasons authors use them are many and varied. Often pseudonyms are created to hide gender identity. SE Hinton (Susan Eloise Hinton), author of The Outsiders, decided to use her initials to avoid being slapped with a gender label (i.e., “Female). Born Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, George Sand became a famous writer in 19th century France and avoided prejudices that would have hurt her career, had she been perceived as female. As she became more successful, she became less concerned about hiding her gender and more concerned with bending it. She was often seen in men’s clothing and, Mon Dieu, smoking in public.
Sometimes authors have personal or editorial reasons to hide their identities. Stephen King published several novels under the name Richard Bachman because he wanted to test whether or not the books would be popular without his name brand. Another time he used the name of a character from another novel, John Swithen, to hide his identity. Then he claimed that Richard Bachman was the real identity of John Swithen and killed Bachman off. I represent a prolific novelist, Paul Aitken, who writes under the name, David Jester, for his humorous stories and, Eli Yance, for horror and mysteries. He doesn’t want to confuse his fans. Once when King had a female pseudonym, an actress was employed to “play” that pseudonym at book signings.
Anne Rice, who has sold more than 100 million books, started her career as Anne Rampling and A.N. Roquelaure to hide the fact that she was writing erotica.
Andy Ross (www.andyrossagency.com) took a legal and business approach to the topic.
If an author’s previous book had low sales, it becomes much more difficult to sell his next book. Some agents have resorted to submitting the book under a pseudonym to address this problem. I won’t do it.
For one thing, eventually, sooner rather than later, the author will have to reveal his name. If he uses a false name in the book contract, the contract can be terminated for fraud. Additionally, as an agent, my credibility is based on trust with a publisher. Submitting a book under false pretenses damages my reputation.
Of course, a publisher can always choose to use a pseudonym for an author. And they may do so for legal or marketing reasons. But it will be extremely difficult for the author to promote the book.
Gordon Warnock (www.fuseliterary.com) sees the use of pseudonyms as a long-term commitment but not necessarily problematic if the nonfiction author has a strong brand.
Using a pseudonym isn’t much of an issue if you’re prepared to treat it like your real, public name. Regardless of how you choose to spell your name on your book cover, whether you include your middle name, use an initial or two, or use your nickname, you’ll need to maintain a presence and promote your work consistently over time using that spelling. It’s a commitment.
This is much easier and more common for fiction writers, as they generally don’t have the same platform prerequisites of nonfiction writers. If you’re a nonfiction writer looking to use a pen name, you’re usually going to need to build and maintain a platform using that spelling so readers looking for your particular expertise can find your work.
I usually recommend this for nonfiction only if you already have a strong brand with that name. Think of it from the reader’s perspective. Fans of Boots Riley will find and buy his work much easier if he doesn’t release it as Raymond Riley, as is the case with Ray Romano versus R. Albert Romano.
Finally, Rita Rosenkranz (www.ritarosenkranzliteraryagency.com) took a practical and cautious approach to the debate that encompasses many of the previous comments and brings us full circle.
There are a few key reasons to use a pseudonym. One is if the author’s previous works underperformed. A pseudonym helps achieve a clean slate for the next book. Another scenario is when an author is stepping out of his/her genre and doesn’t want confusion of her/his authorial identity in the marketplace. Or an author, let’s say of thrillers, wants to write in a different genre. Here again, a pseudonym helps avoid marketplace confusion when an author wants to write in different tracks. Sometimes the pseudonym is only “window dressing,” where the authorship line might be XXX, writing as YYY. And let us remember way back when those talented women who needed to cloak their gender to be published…
My own take is that a pseudonym should be used calculatedly and judiciously. If the author truly wants to write “undercover,” what does that mean for book promotion?
There have been instances, let’s say in scenario one above, where the editor has learned the author’s real name after acquisition (this can be tricky). The author/editor/agent team can decide on how to move forward without being limited by previous sales. But, yes, since the identity of the author is camouflaged, publicity has to be more creative.
Ultimately, the choice to use or not use a pseudonym is up to you. Step back and get a big-picture view of what that decision will mean to you and your book long term. Then embrace that decision and stick by it as you move forward with your career as a nonfiction author.
Do you plan to use a pseudonym? Tell me why in a comment below. (And please share this post if you found it useful.)
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I’m considering the use of a pseudonym for my next fiction book (a crime novel). I’ve published short stories, poetry, and memoirs under my real name. My plan is to make the crime novel a series and use the pen name.
Sounds like a plan for sure!
I am a recovering addict and I’m planning to write for the 12-Step recovery crowd. My pseudonym is James H. (for anonymity) What do you think?
I think that sounds great! It’s still you…and like Bill W.
My name is Otila Osborne I don’t like that as much as a name I could create. I am writing non fiction and also do not want family to be involved, plus in the future I may return to my maiden name. What do you think?
Listen to the agents.
I found this article somewhat helpful, only it didn’t touch at all on a very big reason why non fiction writers – and specifically memoir writers – might use it. Many of us are writing very personal things and I don’t mind for myself but my family is up in arms about it and has threatened to sue me. Is this not a viable reason? Or can people sue you for writing about your life and opinions, even though it also touches on their life?
Your family can still sue you if you use a psuedonym. And this is a quesiton for a lawyer…I’ll see if I can get one to address this topic.
I’m thinking of using my old ‘nom de guerre’ as my ‘nom de plume.’ Your post has caused me to think whether that is a good idea or not. To explain, I’m a retired Special Agent (US Foreign Service). and have been writing a memoir about some of my criminal investigations. At the start of my career, in the early 90’s, I worked undercover in a money laundering operation targeting Colombian drug smuggling groups. My undercover name actually became the basis of an unpublished opinion by the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth District. Most of the bad guys are now either dead, still in jail or have been deported. My memoir also includes several unrelated stories after I left my undercover role and transferred to other agencies. Which is why I was going to use my real name. However, my wife would prefer my undercover exploits are not associated with my real name (she is a little paranoid)…and that is why I was thinking about using my undercover name as my pseudonym. Thoughts?
Seems to me that your “credentials” lend to the story, and without your real name, that is kind of lost. Research how many memoirists write under a pseudonym. In the end, it’s up to you.
I write memoir and there’s already a memoirist who has my name (first and last), and quite a few books. I was thinking to publish under my full name including middle, or just the first and middle name. Do you have any advice in this situation? Thank you!
Yes, this happens often. You could do first initial second initial and last name…like EL Doctoro. Or you could do the full first middle and last name.
I have a small growing platfom in nonfiction. My background is in educational leadership, women’s ministry and speaking. My blog focuses on female, children and or Christian authors as well as devotions. I have spent the last 5 years building my brand under a logo associated with my real name. I write Bible studies and biblical curriculum.
However, I have now have started writing crime fiction. It is violent, controversial and has mild profanity like hell and damn. But, no graphic sex scenes, etc. In other word, there is nothing that conflicts with with my core beliefs as a Christ-follower.
Here’s my question, should I have a new name for the fiction book? Will I turn off what platform I have worked hard to build as a Christian writer by using my real name? I worry that I will now have to work to build a whole other platform and audience through the fake person.
In this case, I might use a pen name. However, you will still have issues promoting your book.
My name is Maha… Sairam (did not mention the full first name). I would like to use Sai Sairam for my non-fiction writing. Everybody at work or my friends know me as Sai or Sairam and not as first name starting with Maha…
Please advise.
Thanks,
Sai.
You can use whatever name you like!
I enjoyed reading and learning more about the pros of cons of using your own name. This will be the first very personal memoir that I publish with two colleagues who are also educators. I am extremely torn about not using my real name and being able to publish/promote the book? Do you have any suggestions?
You’ve read the advice. Mine is always to use your real name for the sake of promotion…unless you really have a good reason not to do so.
I would like to use a pseudonym from the opposite gender while seeking an agent. Will this become an issue if they become interested in my work? I would plan to reveal my true gender upon moving ahead with them. Thank you
Personally, I’d reveal it from the get go. You’ll need to do so anyway to promote.
I’m concerned that my age might initially make an agent hesitant if they Googled me, and I just sent out a query using my first and middle name (with the middle name as a last name). I’m comfortable with my writing being rejected but I don’t want it to be based on anything other than merit. For that reason, I also waited until I completed two middle grade manuscripts and started working on a third before sending out my first query today so an agent won’t wonder if I only have one story to tell when they learn my age. Do you have any suggestions for me going forward?
Thank you.
My advice is to not worry about your age and focus only on your writing and getting published. Good writing gets published despite age. Google writers who got published after 60.
This was very insightful, although I finish it unclear on my situation and decision. I’m really desiring to write with a pseudonym though it would be Non-fiction because, without getting into any detail, the kind of people who dislike works in my genre tend to get explosive. Some people even broke into a public figure who spoke on the topic’s home in the night, and doxxing is an ever present fear of mine as a potential author in a controversial subject. I wonder if publishers may be sensitive to this.
Publishers will be sensitive to explosive issues, for sure. They may be interested…or not. As for using your name, they may have opinions about that, too.
I have a PhD and am self-publishing a series of therapy journals/workbooks but do not want to use my last name. It is a very uncommon last name (only 1 family in the U.S.) and a quick search of my full name discloses my home address. I want to maintain my privacy. Can I use an academic title with a pseudonym? Everything I read says, no. I was thinking of using just my first and middle names (Dr. FIRST MIDDLE) or full first name with initials for my 2 last names (FIRST T.P., Phd) What do you recommend?
I think, eventually someone will figure out it’s you. But you can do whatever you like, especially if you feel safer.
I’m seriously thinking of using a pseudonym, because I worked many years ago as an elementary and pre-school teacher, and I don’t trust the school district I worked for nor the parents. My second reason is because I already got a book published years ago, but it did not do well at all.
Do literary agents look down on writers submitting manuscripts wanting to use pseudonyms?
Did you read the blog post? I don’t think they look down on writers who want to use a pseudonym, but they know it’s harder for those writers to market their books. And an agent or publisher will still know you published that first book. You can’t sign a contract with a pen name.
I would be curious to hear more about how writers using pseudonyms are able to market their works. I have a different career that I don’t want to become entangled in my writing one, and am considering using a pseudonym. I would prefer to never have my identity revealed. Is this a dealbreaker for agents/publishers?
Not a deal breaker, but it does make it hard to market the book. I don’t have any resources about how to do so with a pseudonym…you could Google it and see what you come up with.
I was once introverted, but life forced me to confront challenges. I am educated well enough and have presented technical papers from graduate student guides to international conferences of a thousand know-it-alls (professors, deans, college presidents) as a lowly instructional designer. However, during my years in higher education, my wife challenged me regarding fiction writing at home, and I exceeded everyone’s expectations. Since then, I have written novels, rhymed poems of every style and length, songs, musical plays, movie scripts, and even a potential series of international edutainment games based on a movie script. But because of my lack of extra cash and my christian humility, I have only published a couple on Amazon, and few they exist. But I am retired now, and I want to use an “umbrella pen name” to not only pose as the author of a few things, but also to use my website as a “collector of stories” associated with the persona of my pen name, as separate kinfolk submitting their own stories, when they are all just me. Why? Because my stories are first person narratives, and I want people to believe the narrator is real, especially the female pen names. In other words, I would be like Marion Robert Morrison taking on the pseudonym of John Wayne and supposedly collecting movie scripts under the names of the Duke, the Quiet Man, the Searcher, the Shootist, and Mad Anthony Wayne, all written anonymously by Marion Morrison, where he is always casted. Does this sound too preposterous if I physically, as their agent, represent all these writers as their untitled agent under my umbrella? Do you know of any writers who have done anything like this? I think I can pull it off. Whatcha think?
I’m sorry. I can’t answer that question.