Sloane Talest

To Pen Name or Not to Pen Name? – ESP Workshop Notes

Posted on June 12, 2018 Updated on April 29, 2019

ESP’s June 2018 workshop focused on pen names.

What are reasons some people use a pen name?

• Genre considerations – Working across different genres
  • Writing in science fiction, fantasy and horror with one name isn’t uncommon
    • Dan Simmons
    • Stephen King
  • Different pen names are recommended for romance erotica.
    • I have a theory, the negative impact of that may be more on the romance side than the speculative fiction because of the HEA/HFN pledge.
• Privacy
  • The desire to keep your personal life separate from your public persona
  • Writings might impact your other job
    • You work with children and write adult content
  • Don’t want your personal opinions to be affiliated with your books
• Common real name
  • Smith, Johnson, etc
• Famous person already has your name
• Infamous person already has your name
  • Imagine writing children’s literature with the name Lizzie Borden
• You don’t like your name
  • Ordinary name
  • Unusual name
  • Often mispronounced
  • You just don’t like it
• Gender
  • Your genre accepts a specific gender more readily
• Ethnicity
  • Changing your name to closer match your ethnicity
    • Assuming an ethnic name of an ethnicity you are not specifically to sell to that market is considered not acceptable
• Adopt a different personility
• Branding
  • Match your genre better

Potential complications

• Using the wrong name
  • Difficulties increase with multiple pen names
• Taking on a different persona
  • Trying to keep the persona straight
• Multiple pen names, people finding your work
• Being discovered/discredited especially if using an ethnicity not of your own
• Building a brand for multiple names
• Getting paid, doing business as (endorsements)

Ways of picking a pen name

• Baby name lists
  • Often have meanings of names
• Random name generators
• Put letters together and sound it out
• Pick a noun
• Base on another language
• Pick from a language you created

What do to do after picking a name or list of names

• Google it
  • Are there any meanings you don’t want to be associated with
  • Is it more common than you want
• Read it to yourself
  • How does it read?
• Read it aloud
  • Does it pronounce smoothly?
• Have a friend read it to you
• Check what domain names are available

After picking a name, register a domain name. Even if you don’t plan on building a platform immediately. Waiting to purchase a domain name gives others a chance to register it before you.