Pen names?

[fullmetalxeno]

I was thinking about when i decide i want to publish, i could have my real name on my books. But i realized if i end up becoming a bestseller or earn alot of fans my fan mail would be out of the roof and if i was at a restaurant or something i would be noticed by alot of people and be asked alot of questions lol. Don't get me wrong, i would like to have people ask me stuff but i just don't want to be smothered, i want to have a private life. But then i was thinking that if i had a pen name i wouldn't be known at all or it would damper my chances of being noticed as the real me. But i don't know. If i did have a pen name, what else would benefit me? I'm confused on what to do with this when i get there, but i'm not so sure about all of it. What do you guys think is better? Pen names or real names?

[Lily]

I'm a very private person, so I've always used a pen name. I like to keep different parts of my life, in this case writing, separate. It's important to establish boundaries. There are also certain controversial topics that we might cover in our books, which could result in unpleasantness, or a conflict of interest. I wouldn't want an irate neighbour hammering on my door because of them. ;D

[joshuachrisstoff]

Full, it is all what YOU want, but this is a deep one and it has consequences. As Lily says, you can use it to compartmentalize your life, business, private, social etc. But I think you have to analyse what exactly is involved and what the pros and cons are.
It has occurred to me with quite a number of people, they set John Smith to aka for Sam Brown. That is a great idea, it works. BUT then, mega success doesn't turn up on the door steps day one. So after six months where there is very little benefit from an alias, they gradually slip out of character and tell a few that John and Sam are one in the same. "I don't even know why I really did it now, it is just a bit silly!"

THAT is what they will come to regret.
The pseudonym takes time to kick in and shows its benefits. If you truly understand WHY you wanted it and what it can do for you, then preserving it is really worth while. To me it is an All or Nothing deal. You can't do it with everyone except two dozen close friends and acquaintances.

Now my family know I use a pseudonym, and so do my publishers, you lot don' and my personal name no one except family know that one.
Why do I have it?
Partly to prove to close family that I am writing to write and not to have a huge public profile. If there is a million seller in there somewhere, I will support it with book signings, tours and radio and TV interviews, but my private name and life will remain very private and hopefully, secret.
Realistically, only I can give it away. My family are not in a position to give me up, and they wouldn't. They are not dumb enuff to not understand the idea or real privacy.

I kind of look at it as having a job. I get out of bed, dress in a certain way, do my job of being th3 public face of this Joshua Chrisstoff writer person who has a million seller. Then, at 5 pm, I get change out of the work clothes and become private person again, maybe having a coffee, a pizza and then going home and watching TV.

I cannot see any paparazzi stalking me to "out" me over private man vs writer of one book that actually sold some copies. Even if they do know, I doubt anyone would want to read about it.
Ordinary man lives the life of an ordinary writer who sold a few books, once. Wow, what a scoop.

The technical side of things is rather straight forward unless you get stupid and don't learn the system which is there to cater for all sorts of funny private set ups.
Like the IRS [USA]. In NZ, our IRD doesn't care how many aliases you have or use in anyone one year, it is not a crime nor misdemeanor to use an alias. The rule of th7umb is simple, call yourself anything at all, so long as you report 100% of your income fo the year, only claim all your legit expenses ans the IRD don't care how many names you use. The rule of thumb, again, is that so long as the different names are not intended to avoid tax and you pay the prop amount each and every year, Tax dept will be sweet.
INTERESTING, Al Capone for the few dozen murders he personally committed or cause to be committed was never caught on them, not enuff evidence etc. He did go to jail, but it was for failing to account for all his income and for failing to pay the right tax that they locked him up.

SO WHY DO YOU NEED OR WANT AN ALIAS OR PSEUDONYM??
Most will say for personal privacy. Like superman 8n the 50s and 60s. He went into a phone booth swapped the undies to the outside, took off his glasses and no one could see he was still Clark Kent.
He told fwe if anyone. The less you tell, the easier it is to keep a secret. In reality, if you tell virtually no one, then no one can know, in anyway.
Old saying my covert team use: Loose Lips Sink Ships. If you are the only one to know, and you are careful when you change your clothes and persona in phone booths, no one will ever know unless you open your own fool mouth.

I am not what you might describe as wildly successful, yet.
BUT I suspect that so long as I give my adoring reader fair and reasonable access to my writing persona, they will not pursue me and out my private ID. I feel it is very much a matter of balance. If you deprive them, sure, they may dig to see what you are hiding. If they enjoy mysteries and thrillers, they may have a talent for the chase. But if they can email you and get fair answers to fair questions and get a coffee with you once a month, why would they out you?

Let me know if any of this seems to make sense to you. It does to me but I am not sure I have laid it out well or properly.

Work out, Full, what you want out of it, then you have a set of rules to follow and if you adhere to them, they should work out just fine. Alternately if you have made a number of errors, just remember you can insert another pseudonym between your writing name and real name.
After all, perhaps you are not michael jackson and running here and there making everyone suspect there is some secret to know. He said he wanted to live the quiet life, YEAH, RIGHT!!!! So tell me, how does mj get privacy when he returns to his hotel and then hangs his baby, less than 12 months old out in his hands hanging over the balcony. Talk about asking for trouble.
I see most of these famous people are very much the masters of their own destinies.

Is it Lindsay Lohen who shoplifts and then goes to court and jail, more than once I was told. So how is she to claim she is after the quiet life?
There are mega more examples in celebrity la la land where they do all the eird stuff, Britany someone wearing no undies getting in and out of very low slung foreign cars. Oh yeah, Lady Godiver said it, 'you ain't sposed to look'. Yeah, right!

So I see there are plenty of systems to use to separate public and private lives. Do we see them 'protest too much?' Someone famous or infamous said 'all publicity is good publicity. Besides, is arseholes and mugz like you and me didn't buy certain magazines who print the intrusive photos, there would be no issues... CORRECT? So maybe it is their adoring public who help to perpetuate the pain and suffering!

Have a nice day!

I really do want to know what you think of my offering, if you are of a mind to help me understand what it I think I said <GRIN>

[bubblegum91]

If I ever got published, I'd never use my real name. I've built up a reputation as a daydreaming slacker and I intend to keep it. =D
Seriously, though. I'm not into the whole "fame" deal, so I'd rather not be noticed by anyone in public. It depends on how you could handle crowds, I suppose.

[BlueLotus]

Interesting question...
I thought about it for a while and then one night I grew the sac to post some of my work during a game session, it was me and about 30K other people on-line that night, I have played that game for years so they all know how I am, my facebook security was not set high, low and behold by the time I got up the next morning my FB account had several thousand mails from people in place I have never heard of asking me all kinds of questions about the book, sure there was some hate mail as well, but I like to think that is just because I kick their butts on a regular basis in game But the creepy part is that my grandfather and auntie were getting add requests, and while I don't know if it was these people or not I decided that if for no other reason than to save them the hassle I would fix it so they could be left in peace.

So I set up an authors page, and now slowly word is getting out about the book, and my pen name.
The name I write under is my own name, but it is not the name anyone I know would dare call me.

A) I am a chick and chicks in my chosen genre usually have a harder time of it that the gents do. The first name is unisex.

B) My last name is now Indian and it sounds Indian thus I decided to write under my maiden name, because foreigners don't sell well and the name will just get butchered, I'd like to avoid that.

C) IF I get divorced I'd rather not have his name attached to my work, that does not mean this will happen but I'm a realist.

Bottom line do what you think is best for you.

[bpublisher]

Jul 17, 2012 18:16:27 GMT -5 fullmetalxeno said:

I was thinking about when i decide i want to publish, i could have my real name on my books. But i realized if i end up becoming a bestseller or earn alot of fans my fan mail would be out of the roof and if i was at a restaurant or something i would be noticed by alot of people and be asked alot of questions lol. Don't get me wrong, i would like to have people ask me stuff but i just don't want to be smothered, i want to have a private life. But then i was thinking that if i had a pen name i wouldn't be known at all or it would damper my chances of being noticed as the real me. But i don't know. If i did have a pen name, what else would benefit me? I'm confused on what to do with this when i get there, but i'm not so sure about all of it. What do you guys think is better? Pen names or real names?

It's not like Hollywood Portrayed the famous writer in the 1930 movies.. mobs of people following you around, just trying to touch your cloths like you were Jesus. If Dan Brown bumped into you, you wouldn’t know him even after seeing his picture.
I’d spend my time becoming a better writer, and learning the publishing industry rather than spending time on an un-known future. When you do get published…you’ll be amazed how little people care…even with a best seller.

[Lily]

Jan 13, 2013 16:19:13 GMT -5 bpublisher said:

Jul 17, 2012 18:16:27 GMT -5 fullmetalxeno said:

I was thinking about when i decide i want to publish, i could have my real name on my books. But i realized if i end up becoming a bestseller or earn alot of fans my fan mail would be out of the roof and if i was at a restaurant or something i would be noticed by alot of people and be asked alot of questions lol. Don't get me wrong, i would like to have people ask me stuff but i just don't want to be smothered, i want to have a private life. But then i was thinking that if i had a pen name i wouldn't be known at all or it would damper my chances of being noticed as the real me. But i don't know. If i did have a pen name, what else would benefit me? I'm confused on what to do with this when i get there, but i'm not so sure about all of it. What do you guys think is better? Pen names or real names?

It's not like Hollywood Portrayed the famous writer in the 1930 movies.. mobs of people following you around, just trying to touch your cloths like you were Jesus. If Dan Brown bumped into you, you wouldn’t know him even after seeing his picture.
I’d spend my time becoming a better writer, and learning the publishing industry rather than spending time on an un-known future. When you do get published…you’ll be amazed how little people care…even with a best seller.

You're bang on the money. There is no prestige in being an author anymore, even if you've sold a million copies. Nobody cares.

[jameskresnik]

My birth name is dated and clumsy.

It's frequently misspelled, those who haven't seen or heard me often mistake me for a female, and my name is openly mocked . . . by grown adults.

I wouldn't be caught dead writing with my real name.