What's in a name?

[frost_light]

A watcher emailed these questions in, and since there are a few FFF members with pen names (and maybe more than I'm aware of), I thought it made for an interesting discussion. So, here are the questions

Comments

[tmthomas]

Few people know my real name is actually "Maggie Anton Strout Stacia Kane Stiefvater Markhenry", but I guess once I tell you that you can see why I am trying to publish as T.M. Thomas

Ok, that's a blatant lie. It's Friday and I've used up my store of serious thought for the week.

As a reader, I don't really care what name the author uses. The only narrow exception is that, if you are someone that publishes under 2 or 3 names, I like it to be somewhat known. If I like your work in one genre and you're writing in another field I also like, I'm going to pick it up if I know who you are.

[jayewells]

I use my real name because I like it and I already had a web presence with it when I sold. My editor suggested I take a different last name so I wouldn't be at the end of the bookshelf. Thus far I think I've convinced her that if it works for H.G. Wells it will work for me.

[bevhale]

I write under my own name. If, however, I decide to do something radically different than the YA or Urban Fantasy things I'm now writing, I suspect I'd probably use a pseudonym.

[swan_tower]

Yeah, I don't entirely get the branding thing. I figure, if I publish (as I hope to) some YA under the name Marie Brennan, and my readers go looking for more, they can decide for themselves whether Doppelganger or Midnight Never Come are the kind of thing they're looking for. I'd rather have them at least know about those books, and take a moment to consider them; the way I figure that, it can only help my sales.

I do, however, see the argument for those who write such radically different things that they'd have entirely different audiences (sexy paranormal romance and cozy mysteries, say), or things they feel might not be appropriate (erotic thrillers when they work a public job or also write for kids).

There's the sales argument, of course -- if one name tanks, another one can survive. Can anybody tell me for sure whether YA sales and adult sales are tracked together, if they're under the same name? Or do bookstores split those apart?

[dpeterfreund]

Since different genres tend to be handled by different buyers (at the chains, who are usually the folks responsible for the whole "ordering to net" phenom), I doubt it.

[vivaciousvivi]

I have a pen name. Vivi Anna. I chose it because well it looks good, sounds good, and I did a numerology on it and it so rocked. And my favorite letter in the alphabet is V. And because I started out writing erotic paranormals, I needed a name that would suit what I wrote.

I'm saving my real name which is a great sounding name for when and if I write YA.

[yasminegalenorn]

Vivi! Is that you? I didn't know you were here!

Yasmine

[vivaciousvivi]

Yes, it is ME, Yaz! I've been hiding behind that hawt dude with the cool tattoo.

I've been lurking here for awhile. Hoping to glom magic from all you wonderful people!

Vivi