There are lots of terms used to describe a pseudonym. Whether you go for the universal pen name or some other variant like nom de plume, what you’re saying is, here’s my writing stage name. After all, that’s what it is. A name you go by for your creative ventures that isn’t your legal name.
Now, there’s many reasons why people choose to use a pseudonym. Whether you are testing a new genre, hiding an identity, or simply trying to be someone else, no one takes offense or even scoffs at the concept. Plenty of famous writers you’ve heard of used or continue to use them. Dr. Seuss, Charles Dickens, and J.D. Robb, to name a few.
So, what is in a name, anyway, and why do they matter?
In my chosen genre, essentially everyone writes under a pseudonym. It’s not a secret to anyone that erotica is the red-headed step child of fiction. The black sheep, if you will, even though millions of people around the world consume it at all stages of life in many different formats.
So it makes sense that many of these writers would have a pen name. So why do some people have several?
The short answer is this. Conventional wisdom, especially if you go through traditional publishing, dictates that you separate your niches with different names. That way, your writers will know what they are getting from you. If you start with one genre and then suddenly switch, readers might get angry they didn’t know what they were getting, and they might leave.
But I’m challenging that logic and here’s why.
Yes, there will be some of that happening. And yes some readers might be annoyed. But here’s the thing. As an indie with limited funding, I have to do everything myself. I’m not only the writer. I’m also the proofreader, the marketer, social media manager, cover creator, formatter, accountant, newsletter creator, and more. I barely have enough time and energy to do that for one pen name, let alone multiples.
I have two counterpoints for you to consider when deciding whether you should have multiples.
I’m using this example because she’s one of my favorites and NO ONE will challenge the legitimacy of my claim here. I want you to think about Nora Roberts for a second. Yes, she does have a second pen name, but I’m only going to talk about her primary name for the purposes of this argument.
If you’ve read romance, then you know her name. Yes, that’s what she writes under that name, and she’s fucking good at it. But what she writes under that name is not just romance. She’s written under so many different subgenres in that category, including but not limited to: cozy, steamy (not erotic), contemporary, paranormal, horror, and mystery. And NO ONE gets angry that she crosses subgenres. No one. Why? Well, the big one is because she is an amazing writer. You read her work because you love her writing. You love the stories she tells, and you love how they affect you. At least, I do. Sure, I like some of them more than others, but that’s a subgenre or niche preference. But I know that when I pick up one of her books, it’s going to be good. I know that I’m going to like it because I love her writing. She doesn’t need different pen names because she’s Nora Fucking Roberts, and she’s fucking phenomenal.
Sorry, I get excited.
Yes, I also realize that these are different subgenres of the overarching category of Romance. And while you might argue that because of this, my argument has no legs to stand on. But it kind of feeds into my argument, right? Romance can be so many different things to different people, but because her writing is what you’re after, you don’t care that it's not all the same thing. Kinda makes my point.
But here’s another thought, and one that I’m working on as a goal for this year. What if you, as an author, could assign an imprint to your work? What if your readers knew what they were getting when they picked up your books because you told them? I’m not talking about the blurbs, but something that would distinguish your different categories so your readers knew what they were getting, right on the cover and/or on the inside copyright page where you’d find the publishing house/imprint.
I’m generally a writer of erotica, and my standard category is romance/romantic. But I also write fantasy, paranormal, horror, poetry, and in several different categories that are erotica-specific, like bdsm, hotwife, cuckold, and cheating stories. So what if, when you picked up one of my books, you knew which you were getting? Not only would that make it easier as a reader to pick the categories you were interested in and stay away from the ones you weren’t, but it would make it easier on me as the writer to not have to worry about needing different names.
I do have some loyal readers who will read anything I write because they like what I do. But what about the ones who won’t read something specific (horror, for example, because they often don’t cross) even if they do like my writing? Would this make them more likely to pick up one of my books, knowing it's going to be something they will enjoy?
I can’t answer that. But what I can do is experiment with this. My goal for this year is to create this imprint and see what happens. Maybe nothing. Maybe the work will be a failed experiment that I’ll look back on and wish I hadn’t bothered.
But what if it’s successful? Then I may have stumbled on a bridge between the two extremes. Something that could change the way we think about indie publishing and make less work for those of us who do so much already. This might not be the answer, but what if it could be?
What are your thoughts on pen names? Do you have one or several? How does that work for you, and do you wish there was another option?
