How to Choose a Pen Name
HelloOoOo everybody!
If you've done your homework on the publishing industry, then you already know just how important it is for writers to set up an effective author platform. But a lot of writers completely forget that the first step before even building your author platform is determining your author name.
“But Jennaaa, what's in a name? I mean, after all, a rose by any other name would smell—”
Shut up! This is important. As an author, your name is your brand, and as you grow your audience, your name, in theory, is going to become more and more recognizable. That's why it's important to consider your author name very carefully. Because if somewhere down the line, you realize, “Hey, my author name sucks,” it's gonna be really hard to change.
“But Jennaaa, can’t I just use my real name?”
Yes, you can. That's what I did. But some people have shitty names, or names that just won’t work for their author platform, and I'm here to tell you how to figure out if that's the case. Here are the questions you need to ask yourself when choosing an author name.
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Number 1: Will Your Pen Name Work Long-Term?
Imagine being stuck with this name forever. Are you cool with it? If your work starts gaining a ton of attention, which I assume is your goal, it's gonna be really hard to change your pen name without experiencing some type of struggle or backlash. So you might as well try to get it right the first time.
A lot of new writers get really excited at the idea of a pen name, so they decide to use something fantastical like Sunrise Moonbeam or Prism Waterfall. Others go for something sexy like Donatella Rosegarden or Shaft Manrod.
Here's the thing: do you honestly truly believe you want to be Shaft Manrod for the rest of your life? Is there even the slightest thought in your mind that maybe in a few years you'll think this name is dumb as shit? If the answer is yes, maybe think of something else.
Number 2: Is Your Real Name Unique?
Does your name already belong to someone famous? This, in my opinion, is the absolute most obvious reason to choose a pen name. The whole point of putting your name online is so that readers can access your work, right? You want them to be able to Google your name and find your book. But if your real name just so happens to be Stephen King, guess whom readers are gonna find when they Google you? I'll give you a hint: it's not you.
This doesn't just go for famous authors; this goes for all celebrities. If you have the same name as an actor, musician, porn star, or literally anyone more famous than you are, that means search results are going to take readers to their content, not yours. In this situation, it benefits you to use a pen name; that way people aren't misdirected when looking for your book.
Number 3: Are You Trying To Distance Yourself From Someone or Something?
Sometimes a name doesn't necessarily belong to someone famous, but it sure offers up a lot of negative implications. Maybe your name is Harry Wiener; that's unfortunate. It'd be pretty understandable if you decided to use a pen name, or maybe even change your name altogether.
What if your first name just happens to be Adolf? How much would that suck? What if you belong to a family of felons? Or what if you're related to another famous author and you don't want people thinking you're riding their coattails via the family name? The odds of any of this being the case are extremely slim, but if this applies to you, a pen name is an obvious solution.
How comfortable are you with having your name on the internet? A lot of people are really excited about having their actual name featured on their book cover. But there are plenty of situations where an author does not want their writing easily traced back to them. Especially if their work is controversial, scandalous, or filled with vajangles and dangle-doos.
This is probably the most common reason writers choose pen names. They're just not comfortable with the whole world knowing that they're the creator of whatever they created. There are certain genres that are filled with pen names, like romance, erotica, and satire, for example. And this is perfectly rational. Not everyone wants their family or their boss to know they write about BDSM, or wild orgies, or politics.
Other times it has nothing to do with the content. The writer just happens to be an extremely private person. So before you make this decision, imagine someone Googling your name and stumbling across your book. If this vision gives you immense pride, then using your real name may be the best decision for you. But if you're cringing at the thought of it, maybe use a pen name instead.
Number 4: Does Your Name (or Pen Name) Fit Your Genre?
Before you start freaking out, let me clarify. Your name does not need to completely match your genre. I write fantasy and non-fiction writing craft books; you don't see me going by Windcatcher Dragonslayer or Roboticon 3000. The thing is, a lot of writers choose pen names based on what they think sounds cool, without any consideration regarding the message it conveys. If you choose the pen name Aurora Blaze, people are going to think you write Harlequin romance, which is great if you do but kind of crappy if you write contemporary. If you go by Chastity Wild, people are gonna think you write erotica, which is a problem if you write sci-fi.
“But Jennaaa, my pen name is just a regular old name. What are people gonna think then?”
They're not going to think shit, which is probably a good thing. Pen names don't always have to leave a lasting impression, but if yours does, make sure it at least meshes with the image you're trying to project.
Number 5: How Many Genres Are You Writing?
Some genres go well together, like science fiction and fantasy, or mysteries and thrillers. In these situations, you can easily write multiple genres and still use the same author name. However, if you're writing in genres that have completely different audiences, for example, historical romance and psychological horror, it might be worth considering using a different name for each genre.
Don't get me wrong, having multiple pen names is a pain in the ass. That means you need multiple social media presences, multiple marketing plans—it's a mess. But a lot of writers do this because they're catering to completely different audiences. There's a good chance your romance fans won't give a shit about your thrillers, and might even be turned off by the marketing.
Please keep in mind you are not at all obligated to use different pen names. Some authors write a slew of genres under one name and do just fine. Others simply use slight variations in their names. For example, there are some authors who write both young adult and adult novels; they'll use their full name for the young adult book, and abbreviations for the adult books. Regardless, the variety of genres you write should play a role in your author name decision.
So that's all I've got for you today!
Those are the questions you need to ask yourself before choosing a pen name. You most certainly can write under your real name, but using a pen name is a viable option. And regardless of which route you go, this is something you need to nail down before you start building your author platform.
Which brings me to my final point: most of you know that I have a few classes on Skillshare, including “Digital Marketing for Writers: Grow Your Audience and Author Platform.” A lot of you have asked me to elaborate on my personal marketing tactics, specifically how I was able to create such a successful author platform, which is why I built an in-depth class on this topic.
However, I did not expect it to blow up as quickly as it did. The class trended on Skillshare; it even hit number one around the time it launched. I am just in awe. As a thank you for helping me make my classes such a huge success, Skillshare is offering two months of Skillshare Premium for FREE if you click the link right here. If you missed the first promo or weren't able to take my class, this is your opportunity to get on it. The first 100 people to click this link will get their first two months of Skillshare Premium for free. After that, it's as low as ten bucks a month, but you can cancel at any time. Don't miss out, and take my class, ‘cause I said so!
*This post is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Choosing a pen name sounds like such a fun but surprisingly difficult decision. I think it's important to find something memorable that still feels authentic to your writing identity. Great tips Moto X3M!