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Why Do Writers Use Pen Names?

By Andrea Li

Pen names, also known as a pseudonym, literary double, or nom de plume, are made-up names adopted by an author that they use on their works in place of their real name. 

A simple Google search reveals that a surprising amount of well-known authors use pen names, including J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Lewis Carroll, and Dr. Seuss. Daisy Meadows, from the childhood-favorite and never-ending Rainbow Magic series, is disappointingly a collective pen name for the four different authors that wrote the books (it was too perfect to be true). Then for the opposite effect, you hear the name Rainbow Rowell and are inversely betrayed to hear that Rainbow Rowell, is in fact her real name. The next time you are wondering why famous people all have cool names, the answer is that they might not! 


Pen names may seem like a surface level change and simply for aesthetic purposes, but pen names have existed for centuries and have historical significance. In earlier times, when women were not published at all, many female writers adopted male pen names to get their writing out there. Alternatively, some current male writers adopt feminine and gender-neutral pen names to publish in the thriller genre, because it is becoming a female-dominated genre and a fitting pen name may increase their chances at success. 


Other times, authors’ works might be controversial or spark backlash, and they make the decision not to publish with their real name in order to maintain privacy. This is common with extreme political stances or steamy romances. 


Some authors also use pen names because they are simply more catchy and easy to remember than their real name. Or, they want the name to "match" with the genre they are writing for. When they share a name with another famous author, actor, or celebrity, a pen name could be useful to differentiate their works in a search result. 


In the end, pen names are very common in the literary world. Even though it seems intuitive to want your name published on the cover of a New York Times Bestseller, there are more reasons to adopt a pen name than what initially meets the eye. 


Sources: 

https://www.audible.com/blog/playlisted/article-what-is-a-pseudonym-guide

https://blog.opyrus.com/6-reasons-for-authors-to-use-a-pen-name

https://youtu.be/Crb_nY2PBLE





Comments

  1. Cool blog. I remember when I was younger, I'd imagine writing a book and then putting a pen name on it cause I thought my real name was too hard to remember. I wasn't aware that pen names could be used for things other than aesthetic purposes, but the idea that your name can affect how well your book sells is quite interesting.

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  2. I didn't know that some of those famous authors were really using pen names. It's interesting that there are many different uses for pen names, I usually just thought they were for privacy reasons. I did not know that they could also be used to increase chances for success. It's interesting how important a name can be.

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  3. This post answered a question that I never knew I wondered about. The fact that some authors decided to adopt a pen name and some didn't has always been confusing to me. Nice post!

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  4. Nice post! I thought it was interesting how different people use pen names for different purposes. I also thought it was for privacy reasons, but your blog nicely states other reasons I had not thought of. Great job!

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  5. Cool post. I knew about pen names but didn't know that they were so popular. It makes a lot of sense, though, and resembles usernames on social media or video games as well.

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  6. Unique post! I thought it was interesting how you said that male writers sometimes take on a more feminine or gender neutral name to appeal and increase their chances for success. I never had thought that this would be the case for the reasoning behind a pen name.

    Also very random but Rainbow Magic books were literally my childhood I LOVED THOSE BOOKS SO MUCH.

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  7. This is great! I've learned before about how female writers would use pen names so that their work wouldn't be discarded immediately, but I never thought about the other reasons one could have. It makes a lot of sense for these reasons. You never really think about pen names until you see how many people work under them. I also like how pen names have become common enough that it points out how it doesn't matter as much about who the author is as to what they wrote.

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  8. I am so disappointed to learn that Daisy Meadows is not real. The name always sounded a little suspicious, I really should have known. Great post! I enjoyed reading the articles you linked, I haven't seen a post yet that has additional reading.

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  9. I remember hearing about pen names but I had no clue what purpose they served. I had no clue that Dr. Seuss was part of this. Nice post.

    ReplyDelete

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