Today I was gently hit with the realization that I’d really like to be a published author someday, then I stumbled across that post a few threads back on another user searching for a pen name and it raised the question:
Would I use a pen name? Or my legal name?
I can see pros/cons to both, but I’m still unsure which I’d prefer.
What about you? Would you rather a pen name or your legal name on published works of yours?
If a pen name, what name would you potentially use?
I personally like the surname [name]Brooks[/name], so perhaps that might be incorporated some how. I’ll have to mull it over and get back to you.
While I think the idea of pen names is cool, I would much rather publish something under my real name. Although if I used a pen name, I would like to use the last name [name]Bennett[/name] because I am a huge pride and prejudice fan.
Ooh, interesting question. I have several pen name possibilities, but I doubt I’d ever use them. I’m more inclined to use my initials and last name- think J.K. Rowling or C.S. [name]Lewis[/name]- or just my legal name. [name]Pen[/name] names are fun to come up with, and I’m sure I would be happy using one; there’s just this part of me that want’s my name out there and my name on the work I’ve produced. Does that sound right? I feel like that doesn’t sound right. Oh well.
Here are the pen names I’ve considered:
[name]Isadora[/name] [name]Monroe[/name]
M. P. [name]Perry[/name]
[name]Marie[/name] [name]Perry[/name]
[name]Anais[/name] [name]Bryan[/name]
[name]Frederica[/name] D. [name]Perry[/name]
Most of them have something to do with family members (my mom’s maiden name in particular.)
If I ever become a published author I would use the pen name [name]Eleanor[/name] Dellacosta. Dellacosta was a surname a found on my family tree and fell in love with and [name]Eleanor[/name] is the name I have always wished I was called. I already use this name online, my username (on nameberry and other sites) is a shortening, nelliedellie of it.
Dellacosta is a beautiful surname! Since you mentioned family tree names, I’d probably used a family surname myself.
I’ve started to feel a bit intruder like on the subject using other names that aren’t in my family tree.
Some I know are [name]Pearson[/name], [name]Connelly[/name], [name]Corliss[/name], [name]Scott[/name].
I’d use my legal name, though to be fair I’m in the process of changing my name. Still, I’d want to see my name. On the other hand, there’s a part of me that wants to write super trashy romance novels and I’d probably use a pen name for that! But for something I loved and was proud of, I’d like to see my name.
[name]Pen[/name] names for the bodice rippers:
[name]Arabella[/name] Savage
[name]Camile[/name] [name]Hart[/name]
If you ever see a book with a heaving bosom on the cover and those names beneath the bosoms… that’s me.
As a couple of others have mentioned, I’d use a surname found in my family tree. Not sure about the first name. Might find that in my family’s past as well.
As I write stories but also plan for a career in journalism, I’m probably going to have to use a pen name to distinguish the two industries if I ever get my fiction published. I’m probably going to take names from my family tree - likely surname would end up being my mother’s maiden name - and either keep my first or come up with something new. [name]Don[/name]'t like the idea of taking that from the family tree though, I don’t want to name myself after a relative I know nothing about.
