Should I Use a Pen Name?

Last Updated on March 23, 2022

In an era when most writers crave all the publicity they can get, why would anyone use a pen name? Keeping your identity permanently secret in today's digital world is a long shot at best. Still, there are a few situations where using a pen name, or pseudonym, can make sense.

Reasons to Use a Pen Name

1.You want to write free of the judgment of others — or yourself.

Maybe you want to write 50 Shades of Pink but don't want anyone in your circle to know. Using a pen name can give you the emotional room to write whatever you want, be it erotica, a vampire spy novel, an office tell-all, or a deep dive into the history of truffle pigs. You never know where the story will take you, and in the end, you might be so proud of your work that you decide to use your real name after all.

2. Your kids (parents, siblings, boss) might be embarrassed, angered, or hurt by your book.

Memoir writers are often conflicted about whether to use their subjects' real names, and fiction writers may have similar concerns. Fiction often springs from real events, and the parallels are usually obvious to anyone who knows the author. Readers tend to assume every bit of a fictionalized story is true — they don't buy the poetic license argument. If this will impede your writing or threaten relationships you care about, a pen name might solve the problem.

3. The book could jeopardize your career.

There are cases when what you're writing might do more than anger your boss — it could get you fired. Just as people who work with children (such as teachers or counselors) must scrub YouTube of any questionable videos, you may need to be thoughtful about what sort of content you attach to your name.

This applies not only to working with kids but also to jobs where your public actions reflect an organization's values. Your employment contract might have a morality clause for just this purpose. Once mostly limited to contracts with media or sports figures, morality clauses are becoming more common in other arenas as well. A pen name can provide anonymity as long as your real identity doesn't leak out.

4. You want to create a different persona for professional reasons.

Once upon a time, established authors used pseudonyms to write in a genre different from the one their fans expected. These days not so much. Well-known authors don't mind hopping from genre to genre, and their readers don't seem to care either.

But what if you have a serious day job and want to write a not-so-serious book? Case in point:  voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, aka Selena Montgomery. “Selena” wrote eight romance novels before she was outed by admiring romance writers who wanted to support her organization, Fair Fight, in the 2020 presidential election.

Abrams embraced her steamy past (books) and offered a signed copy of her first novel to be auctioned off for the cause. “Both Selena & Stacey will sign,” she tweeted. The book sold for $3,200.

If you're concerned that your writing could compromise your professional reputation, a pen name might be the answer — although don't count on your identity remaining permanently under wraps, particularly if you become successful.

5. You want to protect yourself or your family.

If the topic you're writing about could incite certain groups to attack you on social media or in real life, a pen name may shield you and your family from their wrath, at least for a while. How long a while depends on the nature of the book and how inflamed your critics become.

Reasons Not to Use a Pen Name

1. The truth will out — eventually.

Internet sleuths hellbent on uncovering your true identity will eventually figure out how to do it. They may be fans or trolls, but if they're highly motivated, it's almost inevitable they'll discover who's really behind the curtain.

For most authors this probably won't be an issue: not every writer inspires a stalker or a rabid following.

2. It can be harder to publish traditionally.

If you're self-publishing, the pen-name decision is totally up to you. Publishing houses are another matter, because insisting on anonymity is going to hamper their marketing efforts. They wouldn't intentionally leak your real name (or would they?), but they'll push hard against anything they think will get in the way of sales.

3. You limit your options for publicity.

You can do a certain amount of publicity without ever showing your face: podcasts, social media, print media, and countless online platforms. But opting out of video interviews and other media opportunities isn't exactly a path to blazing success.

If you're courting publishing houses, you'll need a very impressive marketing plan in order to convince them that news of your book will reach a wide audience despite its author never appearing in public.

If you use a pen name, make it a good one!

Consider the pros and cons and factor in the emotional aspect of writing: will using a pen name open the floodgate to creativity? If you decide to do it, research each prospective name to make sure someone else isn't already using it and that there aren't any negative connotations associated with the name. Then have fun selecting a pen name everyone will remember!