Im writing a book of cryptograms, using quotations from mystery novels. We are on book tour for your life is a book and will be blogging about it with tips for writing and publishing your memoir. Often, writing under a pseudonym is as easy as putting the phrase writing as on your manuscript. Another reason an author might use a pen name is if their real name is the same as an established author writing in the same genre. If you want to get wordy, then leave that to the subtitle. Sometimes authors use a pseudonym that is easier to spell and remember. If you dont have a chapter name and dont want to use chapter numbers, you can simply start your text a third of the way down that first main page. There is no rule stating that if you do use a pseudonym that somewhere on the book you need to mention your real name. A pseudonym is distinct from an allonym, which is the real name of another person, assumed by the author of a work of art. Writers have adopted pseudonyms or pen names to disguise themselves for a number of reasons. Trade publishers are notoriously wary of using the same author name across different genres, or of using a name that they feel is inappropriate for a particular book hence the morphing of.
But when the name of jenny cabot became more popular, the publisher reprinted the series with the cover saying meg cabot writing as jenny carroll and it sold way better. Taking a pen name might be best for yousay, if youre writing erotica but want to take a shot at middle grade fictionbut maybe not. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. While an account named dumbledores beard tm posted. Typically, youll put the chapter number about a third of the way down the page, then start the text a few lines below that. It also helps to avoid muddying up your also boughts on amazon with the wrong books because of author name overlap. If the authors name is hard to remember or is unusual. For articles, short stories, and poetry, you can simply put your real name in the upper left corner of your. At the beginning of stephen kings career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited.
If youve been published frequently under another name, make reference to. Using different author names or a pseudonym as a writer. Mar 29, 2019 wikihow is a wiki, similar to wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are cowritten by multiple authors. May 29, 2012 depends on the style of the publisher. Like when steven king wrote the girl who loved tom gorden he wrote it under another name. I never identify him by name hes my exfriend and ive made up 90% of the events that happen in the book. If you write in multiple genres with little overlap fiction vs. Apr 29, 2008 but one of the most common reasons authors write under aliases is because their earlier works bombed. Pseudonym, pen name or alias authors have been writing under names other than their own for centuries, and their reasons for doing so differ from writer to writer. Rowling writes a crime novel under a male pen name j. You might also choose to write under different author names. Nov 28, 20 trade publishers are notoriously wary of using the same author name across different genres, or of using a name that they feel is inappropriate for a particular book hence the morphing of joanne rowling into the more masculine j k rowling, even though she doesnt have a middle name. Ill take another look at it soon to do some further revision, but im.
Writing under different names justine larbalestier. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to. My real name is michele cooke, but i write as chele cooke because my internet presence over the last decade has always been under the name chele. For example, the romance writer nora roberts writes mystery novels under the name j. Alias use complicates your status as a person legally unless that alias is incorporated as you. A pseudonym or alias is a name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which. Writing stack exchange is a question and answer site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, nonfiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing. Is it possible to publish a novel under an alias or the. Roquelaure, the author of four medieval erotic novels. Jk rowling is the author and she writes the harry potter series, blomsbury is the.
For example, writers digest doesnt italicize them just treats them as regular proper nouns but national geographic for kids magazine does. Its a pen name if the writer picks it, a house name if the publisher has a series where many writers contribute books to it. If youd like to write or publish something under a different name, there are. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. This article has over 67,360 views and 90% of readers. If you can, aim to keep the main title around 5 words or less. Ill take another look at it soon to do some further revision, but im very pleased to have got to this stage and im pretty happy with the story. In fact, its far more difficult to name yourself than to name a character when youre writing novels. Use a pen name to switch genres or professions joanna penn is a bestselling nonfiction writer. My main character is loosely based on a real person. This applies also to some of the several 18thcentury english and. In those days, they were only allowed one book a year under most. Xgens with hyphenated surnames opt for something short.
Each quote will be 12 sentences long, and the accurate sources and authors will be included. We manage the submission process for writers of books, stories. When youre writing an essay that includes a book title, it can be confusing to write the title correctly. Even if they love the book, they wont share it or comment on it, because its just a book, and they cant forge a relationship with a book. Later in their novel writing careers, some authors choose to change the name under. While selfpublished writers have the freedom to choose. Writing yourself a pen name creative writing the guardian. If you want to write a book, you need word processing software thats up to the task. In another instance, stephen king wrote a few books early in his career under the name of richard bachman. Charles dodgson was a mathematician and anglican deacon who possibly wanted to distance himself from his hobby of writing nonsense literature and childrens stories.
Sales on a new crime novel called the cuckoos calling shot up more than 500,000% when it was revealed that the author, robert galbraith, was really j. Another use of a pseudonym in literature is to present a story as being written by the fictional characters in the story. Jk rowling publishes crime novel under false name books. Jul 14, 20 while an account named dumbledores beard tm posted. Writing under a fictitious name was a very common practice in the eighteenth century, when writers and journalists used pseudonyms to pen controversial or even illegal articles and letters to the editor. The book, about a war veteran turned private investigator called cormoran strike, and. The series of novels known as a series of unfortunate events are written by daniel handler under the pen name of lemony snicket, a character in the series.
So when it broke that not only had rowling written another book but that readers could. Rowling was worried male readers wouldnt pick up a book about wizard knowing it was written by a woman. Microsoft word is universally recognized, and youre probably already familiar with it. Famous authors who wrote under pen names business insider. But she has also penned works under two other names. In the submission process, you dont want to confuse the editor or agent by using multiple names. I know that one name for it is a pen name but there is another one that is a special word for it.
Rowling writes a crime novel under a male pen name. I have made quite a few friends online over the years through fan fiction and online fiction, and i didnt want to invalidate the name id made by using a different name for my novels. I want to know what the professional name is for when a writer does this. Like brand names, they are designed to be catchy, memorable and suited to the genre. Newt scamander fantastic beasts and where to find them. Writing under a pen name, or a pseudonym blomsbury is the publisher which publishes the harry potter series. At the beginning of stephen kings career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. It took 7 days to write the book, the fastest ive ever completed a novel.
The book, about a war veteran turned private investigator called cormoran strike, and described by. Jk rowling revealed as author of the cuckoos calling bbc news. Murray, who writes interracial romance novels, is a man i cant confirm he uses a pen name because he writes in the romance category, but i wouldnt be surprised if that was his motivation. The series of novels known as a series of unfortunate events are written by daniel. If a writer didnt make money for the publisher the first time, hes not likely to get a second chancepublishers would prefer to give someone new a shot.
If youre considering using a pen name when selfpublishing a book, youll want to. Rowling to publish another book under pen name following the success of the cuckoos calling, rowling will write another mystery novel by eliana dockterman feb. Should you use different pen names if you write in different genres. If your name is lacey darling and youre writing a spy thriller, having a cooler name might influence just enough early buyers to make a difference. Authors too numerous to count write under multiple names across various genres for people like me. Jk rowling secretly wrote a book under a different name. There is only so much room on a book cover, so the shorter the name, the more prominent it will be. Richard bachman is a pen name used by horror fiction author stephen king. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over.
Pen names have also been used by established authors who want to write in another genre and want to use the pen name to target an entirely different audience. Aug 15, 2019 if you write in multiple genres with little overlap fiction vs. But when the name of jenny cabot became more popular, the. But with the pen name, i know exactly what im getting before i buy a book. But one of the most common reasons authors write under aliases is because their earlier works bombed. A writer with an audience in romance will choose a different pen name for a dark, dystopian fantasy. There is only so much room on a book cover, so the shorter the name, the more.
Once i started writing it in december and ive finished the first draft. Writers use pseudonyms for a variety of reasons, and many successful. For articles, short stories, and poetry, you can simply put your real name in the upper left corner of your manuscript or on the cover page, and list your pen name as your byline beneath the title. Why do romance authors write under multiple pseudonyms. Under her own name, anne rice is known as the author of the vampire chronicles. Authors reveal the different reasons they have adopted alternative literary. Meg cabot originally wrote her 1800whereru young adult series under the name of jenny carroll. If the genres arent too dissimilar, it might actually work in your favor to keep writing under your name in order to retain your readership. This also works the other way, and there are men writing as women in the romance genre. Another reason to choose selfpublishing under an alternative name could be because the authors real name is too long. War veteran bill spence writes as jessica blair, and lawrence block writes under a number of both female and. War veteran bill spence writes as jessica blair, and lawrence block writes under a number of both female and male pseudonyms. Whenever fiction writers ask for my advice about pseudonyms, theyre usually wondering.
Rowling called writing under the pen name of robert galbraith such a liberating experience. Your author name is part of your brand, and the use of a pseudonym is something that many writers consider in their careers for different reasons. Robert galbraith the cuckoos calling and the silkworm. Like when steven king wrote the girl who loved tom gorden he wrote it under another name to see the reactions he got to a different style of writing. People get lured into crafting titles that are exacting and longwinded in an effort to make the title signal the book idea and audience. If a writer didnt make money for the publisher the first time, hes not likely to get a. Joanna talked about her decision to write under two names last year when she chatted with the write practice team. Whats it called when a writer writes under another name.