Should you Write Under a Pen Name?

Should you write under a pen name? Well, it’s completely up to you.
You don’t need to have a reason to do it, but I have compiled some just so you can consider if it’s the right option for you.

Some reasons you might use a pen name?

1. Your real name is already in use - Did you know that there are over 4,000 people in the United States who have the name James Paterson? Where you can, you want to try and differ yourself from other authors, you don’t want your work mistaken for theirs and vice versa.
2. Privacy - This is a big reason for authors to go ‘under cover’. Being a public personality can be scary. Some authors have used a false name for life-or-death reasons, because they live under oppressive regimes, or have dangerous things to say about powerful people. Or you don’t want weirdos googling you or workmates teasing you. You might work for a government department or other organisation which does not allow its employees to publish under their own names, because of the conflict of interests it may cause. There is no wrong reason to want to maintain your privacy in this day and age, whether it’s for your family or just yourself. If you want privacy, this is a great way to go.  
3. Brand Differentiation - Romance author Nora Roberts writes erotic thrillers as JD Robb. Horror and fantasy novelist Kim Wilkins uses the name Kimberley Freeman for women’s fiction. Some authors also separate their novels from their non-fiction by changing names.
4. To overcome the limitations of the author’s real name - Some people just don’t like their real name. Or their publisher doesn’t! Some names are hard to spell — a real disadvantage in our age of online bookselling. So the author shortens it, simplifies the spelling, or chooses something completely different. And some writers — usually women, but not always — decide not to flag their gender. JK (Jo) Rowling famously used her own and her grandmother’s initials, because her publisher thought that boys might not want to read a book written by a woman.

Things to think about:

• If you have two separate names to write under, think carefully about the extra work you are letting yourself in for. Two Facebook pages, two Instagram accounts, two websites… do you want to do all that?
• How well do you think you will handle having to switch identities between the two writing names? Will it come easily to you, or will it just give you a headache?
• Once upon a time, publishers tended not to allow their authors to write in conflicting genres and styles. They wanted them to maintain a consistent “author brand”. If you have an agent, they may insist on this. Such a policy means that any other types of writing have to appear under a different name, so they don’t confuse the brand. But some are now finding that the policy is relaxing a little, and authors are being given more freedom to explore all the different types of things they long to write.
• In the self-publishing section of the industry, lots of people are writing in varied styles under the one name — and getting away with it. Audiences seem to be increasingly flexible in coping with such mischief. Let’s face it, sometimes the person who loved your book on building a better rabbit hutch also happens to like cozy mysteries, and will buy your tale of murder because they enjoy your authorial voice!