~ By Jennifer Lohmann
One of the first decisions a writer has to make is what name will adorn the cover of that debut book. This is especially true now that you are expected to build a social networking presence BEFORE your first book comes out. You have to answer the question: pen name or real name?
I decided to write under my real name. I had a little (and by little, I mean tiny) name recognition from being RWA’s Librarian of the Year. My name is fairly easy to spell, the web address was available, Harlequin didn’t have any issues with it, and neither did the library I work for. Also, (confession time) I’m barely able to keep up my personal online social network. Wondering if I needed two Twitter accounts along with two Facebook pages was enough to keep me awake at night. Writing under my own name seemed like the way to go.
It’s been almost a year since my first book, Reservations for Two, came out. If you’re thinking about writing under your own name, here are my thoughts on it, so far.
I find I’m more careful than I would otherwise be in online discussions. Don’t make more of this than needs be, as I’m generally cautious before entering arguments. However, since My-Myself-&-I is the person saying things, I respond only after careful consideration. There’s no anonymity or pseudonym to hide behind and I have to own everything I say in a way I don’t think would be true if I were to say something under different name than what my mother calls me. Related, since author-me is also real-me, I don’t hide my politics. My Facebook fan page is (mostly) apolitical, but my Twitter feed is not. People can subscribe to my personal Facebook page and my profile picture makes my politics pretty clear (the image was chosen both because I believe in the cause and because I hoped when people searched my name on Facebook, they would pick the smiley author photo over the political statement—I don’t know if that has worked out or not).
I do worry about people knowing my real name and deciding to track me down because I’m an author and so make buckets of money (jokes on them!). While this is a legitimate concern, my badge at the county library has had my full name on it for years and that’s probably a bigger safety concern (if there is a concern to be had). Plus, as a librarian, I know just how easy it is to crack fake identities.
Writing under my own name encourages me to be cautious and thoughtful. While this might seem to counteract the previous statement, not having a pseudonym encourages me to be more me and less of a brand. More authentic, maybe, and who you interact with online will be more or less the same person you get in living person. Whether this is a good or a bad thing remains to be seen.
Many writers cannot write under their own name. They have unsupportive family members or a boss who would read a sexy scene and fire that “writer of smut.” Some authors are branching out into a new subgenre and don’t want to confuse their readers. Still (and this is where I veer off from experience and onto a soap box), I think the more of us writing under our real names, the better. Being open about our writing is a demonstration of how we have nothing to be ashamed of—and everything to be proud of. I think it’s one small way to help our beloved genre gain the legitimacy it deserves.
Do you write under your own name? If you’re unpublished, do you plan to write under your own name? Either way, what are your reasons? If you write under your own name, what has your experience been?
Jennifer Lohmann is a Rocky Mountain girl at heart, having grown up in southern Idaho and Salt Lake City. When she’s not writing or working as a public librarian, she wrangles two cats and a flock of backyard chickens. The dog is better behaved. She lives in Durham, North Carolina. Find her at jenniferlohmann.com, on Twitter as @iferlohmann, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/iferlohmann.
My name was already in use in the romance genre, there was another one publishing even with my same middle initial in 18th Century Romance Literature critiques from a university overseas, and there wasn’t a domain name anywhere still available. I knew early on I was going to end up with a pen name.
What surprised me was the length of time it took to find a name I liked, my agent liked, WASN’T ALREADY USED, was considered “spellable”, had domain names available in most common social media, worked for multiple genres, etc. Getting used to a new name has been interesting, but its also been fun. I’m pretty careful to keep personal stuff (cute kid posts, annoyed political comments, etc.) OFF my professional page, but so far, so good.
Hi Jennifer,
Great post. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Like you, I can’t imagine keeping two social media accounts going. LOL. My job isn’t a concern. I guess my fear is putting myself out there so publicly. What happens if everybody hates my book? Plus I really can’t think of a name I’d prefer. I like my name. Have a great week!
I sympathize. There are so many ways to spell “Lohmann,” but, like Mathews, all of them are easy.
I use my real name. I like my name. It’s easy to spell (except for the one t) and I’ve had it for twenty years. I have a hard enough time thinking up names for my characters.
Besides, if I’m ever famous enough to lose my job as a teacher’s aide, then I’ll be selling a lot of books.
I’m totally with you, Jennifer. As a guy writing romance under my own name, I can’t deny I’ve faced some of the “men can’t write romance” pushback, but that’s okay. I write romances because those are the stories in my head and I’m proud of them. Plus, I can barely keep track of myself, so writing under a pen name and the associated work that comes with it, was never an option for me.:-) Best wishes to your continued success!
Yes, this would be an even more weighted decision for a man to take, especially in such a female-dominated genre.
Great article, Jennifer. I see many good reasons to write under your own name here. I chose to use a pen name since I write Navy novels about a certain Navy base where my husband works. Also I am a substitute teacher at the elementary/middle school level and try to keep my personas separate. I’m learning an even more important reason, however. Safety. Between Twitter and research, I am in contact with hundreds of military types – mostly males. I take comfort in knowing that I am using a pen name when I communicate with these guys. Most are awesome and totally above board, however there are a few where I’m glad they don’t really know who I am.
RWR had a very good article on this subject November 2012. It was after reading it that i made an immediate choice to not only use a pen name, but to change it to Ashby. My maiden name, which I’d been using, was difficult to spell and pronounce. Those were the first two things mentioned in the article. The next was ensuring that the domain was available before choosing a pen name. Thanks for all you valuable information today and congrats on your books! Write ON!
Great title for you blog post, BTW 🙂
Safety is a concern and one of the things I struggle with–besides a name, author pictures are posted all over the web and many authors talk a lot about their personal life, kids, etc. I wonder if a pen name gives the illusion of safety without actually providing any. I don’t know the answer to that, but it is something I think about a lot.