Every so often, someone writing under a pen name does something horrific. They betray a reader’s trust or they try to scam the system or they do something else not-very-nice.
Following this type of revelation, there is often a call for banning pen names. The people leading this call are usually either uninformed about the writing business or they are people readers should think twice about trusting.
Why do I say this?
Because many professional writers use pen names.
Stephen King has used multiple pen names (Richard Bachman, John Swithen and Beryl Evans are known pen names of his). Jayne Ann Krentz officially uses THREE pen names at the present ( Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle). Nora Robert is also J.D. Robb, Jill March and Sarah Hardesty.
Cynthia Sax is a pen name. That is unlikely to shock anyone. I’ve been open about that, likely TOO open about it. (grins) I’m certain some of my buddies are tired of hearing that information.
It is easier to list the few professional writers who HAVEN’T used pen names rather than list the writers who do use pen names.
Why Do Writers Use Pen Names?
There are a gazillion reasons why writers use pen names.
They might want to signal that they write in a certain niche or they are writing in a different niche than the one they normally write in. Jayne Ann Krentz writes Romantic Suspense. Amanda Quick writes historicals, for example.
They might write so many books; a publisher can’t handle their output. That’s one of the (many) reasons Nora Roberts publishes her romantic suspense novels under J.D. Robb.
They might not want one of their readerships to find certain books. A great example would be a writer who writes both steamy romances and children’s books. She wouldn’t want her kiddie readers to find those very adult books.
In my case, I don’t want the friends and family of my very religious and extremely Awesome Mom-In-Law to find my steamy romances. She has been wonderful, supports me so much, and I would never want my writing to hurt her in any way. (We have to protect the ones we love, don’t we?)
I know some writers who are hiding from exes and other bad people. They feel safer writing under pen names.
Maybe the writer’s books under one pen name didn’t sell well and publishers are nervous to take a chance on her next absolutely awesome novel. A new pen name gives this wonderful book and this gifted writer a fresh start.
The writer’s real name could be long or complex or she might not like it very much. Or she might want to honor a loved one by using a part of that loved one’s name.
Maybe it is easier for her to write truthfully, with full emotion, if she feels no one knows those are her emotions on the page or if she pretends she’s a separate person.
Maybe it is easier for her to tackle criticism of her work if it is published under a pen name. The editor or reviewer isn’t criticizing HER. It is her author persona that is being criticized.
Maybe the writer uses a pen name because it is safer for her. Writers, especially female writers, receive some ‘interesting’ messages. Some of these can be quite scary. We’re talking go-to-the-police-right-away levels of terrifying. A pen name makes a writer a little bit more difficult to track down.
Some writers use pen names because…hey, they’re fun to use. We feel like superheroes with our secret identities. (grins)
There are many, many more reasons, too many to list here.
Would Eliminating Pen Names Eliminate Bad Behavior?
Short answer – No.
Bad people are bad people. They don’t play by the rules so creating a new rule around pen names is unlikely to stop them. And it WILL inconvenience a lot of good people, honest people, people who would never betray their readers’ trust.
Also, unless the writer shares the information or the pen name is clearly a pen name (a name like Man Titty, as an example – grins), we don’t know who is writing under a pen name. It would be an administrative nightmare to track this and there are other areas we should be focusing on.
Pen names are a part of the writing world. They’ve been around since the beginning of publishing and I suspect they will be utilized forever.
I am extremely grateful for this option.
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Other Chameles view him as the enemy.
She sees the warrior hero he never believed he could be.
* * *
Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.
That best isn’t the barren, dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining the war.
After many solar cycles of living alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky. Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.
He also insists they must part. Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once more.
Every additional moment Lea and Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled might be their own.
* * *
Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much shorter story sharing the same title.
It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.
Book 1: Warlord Sky
Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty
Book 3: Warlord Unarmed
Book 4: Warlord Reunited
Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy
Book 6: Warlord’s Return
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