All right folks, a question popped up today that is worth taking a day or two to discuss. Namely: what name do you write under?
That’s not so tough if your name is Stephen King, (as long as you’re THE Stephen King. If you’re not, considering becoming a plumber.) But if your name is unusual, you have to ask whether it’s an asset or a liability.
Along those lines, Gerhi posted the following question today:
My name, as I use it now, is “Gerhi Janse van Vuuren”. Shortened first name (unique) and three parts to the surname. I can never see myself doing a full name authoring which would be “Gerhardus Petrus Benjamin Janse van Vuuren”. Just using my initials GPB in front of Janse van Vuuren or GJ in front of van Vuuren also doesn’t want to fly.
Just using my own names I can work out quite a number of pseudonyms but I would like to write as me.
Problems: Very few English speakers can pronounce my name correctly. It is with a hard ‘G’ and a flat ‘e’.
People often think I’m female, I’m not.
I could go with “Gerhard” but will I lose the uniqueness. The same with “Gary” or “Gerald”. In fact, I could never see myself as a “Gary”.Edgar Rice Burroughs made a triple name work but I’ve got four parts. I’ll never be Stephen King.
So, should I just be me or should I work up another name? I’m not even asking what I should register as a domain, just, what should I use as my author name?
Randy sez: I’m going to assume you are planning to publish in English. You have a bunch of options, each with advantages and disadvantages.
1) Gerhi Janse van Vuuren. Advantages: It’s your real name, so your obnoxious third grade teacher who said you’d never amount to anything will KNOW she was wrong when you get famous. Disadvantages: It’s quite a long name; 3 of the 4 parts of it will be badly mispronounced by most English speakers; it’s your real name, so the stalkers will have an easier time tracking you down.
2) Gerhi van Vuuren. Advantages: It’s still your real name. Disadvantages: 2 of the 3 parts are still going to be massacred by English speakers.
3) G.P. van Vuuren. Advantages: It’s short, and relatively easy to remember because now all the hard parts are focused in the last name; 2 leading initials makes you sound like a British author in the same league as T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and numerous others. Disadvantages: It loses your first name.
4) Anglicize it to something like Gary van Buren. Advantages: Easy to pronounce. Disadvantages: It’s lost the Dutch connection and now sounds like you’re one of the billions of American writers.
5) Choose a pen name not related to your real name. Advantages and Disadvantages are the same as #4.
This is a hard problem, and I don’t know how to advise you. So let’s have a contest! My blog readers are among the brightest folks in the galaxy, so one of them is sure to have a good answer.
Blog readers: post a suggestion for Gerhi as a comment. He gets to choose who gave the best answer. The winner gets a free critique from me of one page of their current work in progress.
Now I’ll answer a couple of other questions. Kristi has decided to move her blog from Blogspot.com to a real web site:
Maybe I can leave the blogspot site up, with a final posting that says the blog has moved and give a link to my domain/blog page?
If you have your blog on your website page, how do you get the comments function (like this one) to display?
Randy sez: Yes on question #1. For question #2: comments are allowed in most blogging software. I use WordPress for this blog, and comments are easy to set up in the admin section of the blog.
Sylvia wrote:
I have neither a blog nor a website. A friend developed a ministry website, but she now finds that the search engines are not picking it up. She’s encouraging me to develop a website, but since mine would be for ministry, too, I’m not eager to become involved until we can solve the search engine problem.
My friend was advised to have her website designed by a professional. However, we are both retired and on a fixed income, so the financial angle concerns us. Can you give me a ballpark figure for how much it would be to have a professional format a website? Any recommendations? We live in a Portland, Oregon suburb not too far from you, so I’m hoping that you will know someone to give us some professional help –if we can afford it.
Randy sez: We’ll talk about the search engines in due course. The Simpleology course on blogging contains some helpful basic advice on getting traffic to your blog.
As for the cost of a professionally designed web site, that ranges from a few hundred to zillions of dollars, depending on how fancy you want it. The first question one should always ask before creating a web site or a blog is: What is the purpose of this web site (or blog)? The answer to that question will determine how much time, energy, and money you should sink into it. Those are the only resources you have personally available to you–time, energy, and money. Since you have finite amounts of each, you need to think carefully about how you want to allocate them. If a web site or blog is going to consume more of your precious resources than it’s worth, then don’t do it! There are plenty of other things to do in life.
If you have a suggestion for Gerhi, post it as a comment now!
Gerhi, personally I think your name is great just the way it is, but I also don’t want your hand to fall off when you have to do all those future book signings. So, with that in mind, I think I’d go with G.P. van Vuuren.
“Gerhard’ is pretty unusual where I come from. Until I found out otherwise, I though ‘Gerhi’ was a woman’s name. Most Americans are accusomed to associating the i ending with the feminine. For example, Terry is a guy, and Terri is a gal.
Gerhard van Vuuren would be my vote.
You might think I’m an odd one to talk, since I’ve picked the weirdest pen name on the planet. Advantages, it’s memorable. Disadvantages, nobody spells it right. Why did I pick it? well, I want to reach Muslims, and Arabic is one of the few languages that uses the q without a u. So they assume I married one. And we used to work with homeless women, so stalking is a problem I have had lots of exposure to. It also happens to be a name I can answer to quickly.
And if you know my real name, or hear it, you get the joke, and when people laugh, they remember you. On the other hand, I do have a certain credibility in my past profession, and I can’t tap into it unless I use my real name. So I guess I will have to choose between my best marketing base and anonymity.
I’ll probably loosen the anonymity, but keep the joke.
These Dutch names sure are great names under which to write excellent fiction, and can’t be all that difficult to pronounce. I believe in the American past there was some prominent fellow with the surname of Van der Bilt.
Remember in 1983 when Gerrie (pronounced the same as Gerhi) Coetzee defeated Michael Dokes to become South Africa’s first (and last)undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion? If I remember correctly, it was in Akron, Ohio. The American commentator pronounced Gerrie’s names as “Jerry Goatzie”, but what the hay? I didn’t care how he pronounced it.
I vote for Gerhi van Vuuren and I don’t think it matters a pair of dingo kidneys how it is pronounced.
My thought: ‘Angle’ it just enough to keep your English readers spreading you correctly and effectively by word of mouth, but keep a bit of Dutch sound for uniqueness and connection.
here’s a couple:
1. Gerhard Jans
2. Gary Van Vuuren
Too bad you don’t have a maiden name to fall back on…
Camille Cannon (Eide)
I’m Belgian, though I’m slightly more blessed since I have a French sounding name. My mother tongue is Dutch as well, so I certainly understand the predicament you’re in. While my first name is pronounced well by just about everyone, tongues get twisted and sometimes even break off when they have a go at my last name.
So, on to the matter at hand:
– Keeping a link to your Dutch heritage is important, this practically rules out using initials.
– It has to be something most people (not all, you’ll never get them all) to pronounce your name somewhat correctly. This does not have to be something everyone can figure out just by reading your name. Plenty of famous authors or actors have names people mispronounce, until you get to set them straight. Then all of a sudden, everyone does it right. For example, I know how to pronounce Van Vuuren, but I’m pretty sure most of the other blog readers will pronounce it Van Vooren. This is not such a big deal I think. Once you start setting people straight, it will catch on. So I would definitely keep Van Vuuren. Furthermore, I think it’s an awesome name and has a very good Best-selling-author ring to it. It’s also an easy name to remember and not that common, which is excellent for you!
– Now for the first name: You’re right about thinking Gerhi will cause plenty of confusion. Now only will it get totally massacred upon pronounciation, but it also puts out some inaccurate clue as to what gender you are. A change is definitely needed here. I’m personally a big fan of one of your first names, Benjamin. It has class and you could shorten it to Ben whenever you want. Janse is also a cool name I think and I think people wouldn’t have that much trouble in pronouncing that, though it doesn’t solve the gender-prejudice thing that much as it could be a name used for both sexes.
So my vote ultimately goes to:
Benjamin (Ben) Van Vuuren
Good luck deciding which name to choose. I know it must be a tough decision.
I like Gerhi van Vuuren but if you don’t think it works what about Van Vuuren? Short, sweet, memorable and masculine; works for me.
Gerhi,
You have an amazing name, each with great resonance and history. It is a shame that ‘we Americans’ sometimes lack the cultural awareness to handle such a name.
My suggestions are:
G.P. Vuuren
Benjamin Janse
or Benjamin Vuuren
I know both of those seem like a butchering of your name, but they both have a strong air about them.
Best of Luck.
I agree with Daan. Gerhi van Vuuren. Not only is it YOUR name, you also get the opportunity to educate non-Dutch people on the pronounciation when they check your website out.
I think you have a cool name, but I agree with Randy that it will be hard to pronounce. I’m sure I pronounce a ton of names incorrectly! I would personally change it, for safety and privacy purposes, but you could try to keep the same feel and sound.
1. Gerhance Vuren
2. Greg Jance
3. G. van Vuuren
Those are my best suggestions. I like and dislike the idea of keeping your real name. I like because it’s you; that’s how you’re identified. I dislike because you won’t have as much privacy once your real name is famous. If you’re famous and people see your picture and learn your name, some will probably come talk to you when you’re out, but they won’t be able to meet you as a person, but as an author. That’s why I would use a different name, so that when you meet people, you can tell them your real name and then you can tell them about your writing life in your own time.
I vote for “Gerhi Janse van Vuuren.” Be true to yourself. That’s your name. If others have a problem with your name, that’s their problem, not yours. As long as they’re buying your books, who cares what they call you? When you become famous, people will get it right because everyone will know who you are and we will feel priviledged because we knew you first.
Western society is very multicultural. Many of the children my daughters go to school with have really different sounding names. Everyday we come across names we cannot pronounce.
Remember Jacob, the deceiver? He lied to his father,Isaac, about who he was. He said he was his brother, Esau, to get his brother’s blessing. Later, when Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord and wouldn’t let go until he received a blessing, he was asked, “What is your name?” He had to set the record straight and give his real name.
Go with your real name and spelling and I believe you will receive a blessing too.
Also, if you provide a picture for the back cover of your books, people will know right away that you are male. It will be an interesting surprise for those who thought otherwise.
People shorten my first name to Deb all the time and I don’t like it. All I can do is correct them.
My last name is Norwegian and people say it wrong and spell it wrong all the time too. It’s humourous. Choose to see the funny side and laugh at the innocent mistakes others make in pronouncing your name. Have fun writing and publishing as you.
One thing I would like to mention is that your name is unique, and it’s you. You will stand out in the crowd.
Have you thought of just using your first name only? I am not sure if that is allowed in writing.
I like the fact of using just your first initials and last name only, it keeps people in suspense.
I vote for door number 3 in Randy’s post.
G.P. van Vuuren jumped out at me as I read all of Randy’s options – I like it. It’s much easier for people to remember, which is important when they walk into the bookstore and say “now what was his name?” It also lends a bit of mystery to you because people will wonder what the initials stand for, and if you don’t put your full name in your books anywhere, then they’ll be curious and go to your web site where they’ll find the answer (hint hint: put the answer on your web site).
I’d made a name for myself in fine art under the name of “Wells”. When my husband hightailed it to greener pastures, I changed it back to my maiden name, “Stuart”. Then I remarried and became a “Parks”. All three names appeared on my paintings. One puzzled buyer, upon seeing the plethora of names, inquired of my gallery owner, “Stuart, Wells, Parks? If I wanted to invest, which name should I invest in?”
My gallery owner replied, “Picasso.”
OK, thinking American and future fame, as well as a name that the buying public might be interested in, how about J. V. Vuuren? People will ask you what your first name is, thinking the J. You can then correctly say your first name and then your whole name. Easy to sign at book signings. Your whole name would be in the book when they write about the author. There are Van Vuuren authors (I checked Amazon) but no just Vuuren–so would come up easier on search engines.
-Blessings
Aw shucks Randy, this is too much. I expected an answer along the line of Option A: keep your name, or Option B: try Paul Smith because Tom Jones is taken.
If I knew you were going to do this I would have given more details. For example Vuuren is not so difficult to pronounce. It is like van Buren, just replace the B with a V.
‘van’ means from and Vuuren is an old district in Belgium. Variant spellings are Vuren and Feuren. It means river.
I am not choosing yet in case there are more comments or updates. But variations with Benjamin as first name is out. I named my oldest Benjamin and I’m not going to steal his thunder.
Note: I normally access the blog from work and I have used my wife’s website domain so far. I’m of sick at home and I’m using my own domain so this might get stuck in moderation for a while, depending on how Randy had set his comment system up.
I think you’ll know when you hit upon the right combination of letters for you name. Trust your instincts. 🙂
For many reasons, I would go with your initials. With a last name that will be difficult for some, you don’t want to add to the problem by including a first name that could throw readers (this could possible hinder sales). Even my short last name causes trouble, so I know about having to tell others how to pronounce or spell it. Your last name is similar to Dear Abby’s, and that will help readers remember it. I would definitely keep your complete last name–and how nice they both begin with the last letter, so readers will know to look under V.
As to using initials in place of your names, as already mentioned, this lends an air of mystery and also shortens the name–better for book covers and PR material, plus for signings. I would include all your initials–that would be unique. G.P.B.J. van Vuuren. Using more than two initials didn’t hurt Tolkien. It’s the last name that’s most important. By using initials, you still have your identity. Then, if people come to know you by your first name, it doesn’t change who you are, and it makes them feel important to know you more intimately. I think this would have a psychological advantage.
I would like to recommend that you keep your own full name. There are few people whose names are able to be pronounced ‘properly’ in every corner of the world (my own surname included, with only four letters). Even when you become immensely famous, your name will always be mispronounced by some! I cite as example, Vincent Van Gogh, which, as I am English, I pronounce as Vincent Van ‘Goff’. I live in France and in France he is (something like) … Van ‘Geug’.
Best of Luck
I agree with Debbie T. Gerhi van Vuuren is your name. To me, it is more interesting than initials. For book signings, why not just sign “Gerhi” or “G.v.V.” and be done with it? Be true to yourself, and let other people adjust. I’d buy a book of yours more quickly under an interesting name like Gerhi van Vuuren than under G.P.B.J. Anything!
Gheri, first of all I think you have a very cool name. One of the combinations that hasn’t been mentioned is Gheri J. van Vurren. Keeps the unique sound, keeps the J which is part of your surname, and only the Gheri would present a pronunciation problem. I like a middle initial and when people ask what it stands for you can tell them. You are still hanging onto the surname with it. My two cents worth.
I did get a chuckle from Mary’s suggestion– G.P.B.J.–the PBJ made me think of a sandwich.
Oops! Gerhi, not Gheri! So maybe there would be a spelling problem too. Hmmmm.
My vote would be either Gerhardus van Vuuren or Gerhard van Vuuren.
1. It’s your real name.
2. It’s different. If I were to go to a book store after hearing someone tell me about your book(s)and I couldn’t pronounce it right, I would remember that it’s a ‘different’ name and would know it when I spot it. I do that with several authors I hear of: finding a unique way to remember the name.
3. I wouldn’t worry about its being pronounced right as it’s your writing that will sell the book. The pronunciation will come.
4. Gerhardus or Gerhard would identify as you a male without having to look you up.
5. I don’t think I would worry as much about stalkers any more than I do just having a presence online. If someone is determined to stalk you, they’ll find you no matter what. People stalked the famous long before the internet came around.
6. If someone wants to look up your website, they’ll find you. If I know the book title, I search under it and find the author’s name. Also, the meta data in your web page as well as tags you set into it will come up in search engines. Make sure to add in all the possible spellings into that. My personal websites go under MySpiritProductions because I was into image/web stuff before considering writing as a prominent element in my online life. If I do get a domain name of my real name, which I probably will do, I’ll point it there, but my writing info will also go into meta data for searches.
I know you like Gehri because it’s who you know yourself as, but just for the sound of the thing, I like:
Gerhardus Janse
It’s both masculine and unique. You Mom would probably be tickled if you go under your given first name rather than the short form (said the mother of children with strange names).
Or, add a more masculine second name:
Gerhi Benjamin Van Vuuren
Oh, and just for interests sake, what is the actual phonetic pronouciation?
Gerhi, I agree with the others who say you should be true to yourself. I think you should definitely use your original Dutch names. This is part of who you are.
My only suggestion would be to shorten your pen name to one first name and one surname, such as “Gerhi van Vuuren.” If you are really concerned about the gender and pronunciation confusion with “Gerhi,” then you could use a different combination, such as “Benjamin van Vuuren” or “Petrus van Vuuren.” Benjamin, as Christophe noted, would be very easy for most people to pronounce, and I don’t think Petrus would be too difficult either. (I personally like “Janse van Vuuren,” but that would be harder for the average American to pronounce.)
By no means, however, should you settle for a name just because it’s easy to pronounce or remember. After all, you will have to live with this name and see it on your book covers and sign it for the rest of your writing career, so it should be a name you will be proud of. Good luck!
I did want to say I really do like your first name (shortened version). I didn’t even notice the PJB when typing my original comment, but did see my own typo (it should say possibly). But the PJB might help people remember. : )
Re writers’ conferences, as discussed last week. If you can’t attend, the next best thing is getting recordings of the classes and working through them. Much cheaper too. Many conferences have past years’ offerings available, just as Randy does his excellent courses. And you can listen over and over.
Gerhardus is unusual in the United States, but Gerhard itself isn’t entirely unknown. It’s not bad to have a distinctively Dutch name, as long as folks can remember it. “van Vuuren” is trickier if you want Americans to pronounce it even remotely correctly. If you don’t care about pronunciation, you may want to make it a bit tidier to pronounce. If I remember what I know about Dutch correctly, the ‘v’ is pronounced as ‘F’ is in English, so proper pronunciation would be like “Fahn Fuu-ren”, is that right? In English, people are likely to say “Van Vyoo-ren” more often than not.
I’d go with “Gerhard van Vuren”. For initials, I’d just do “G.P. van Vuren”.
Gerhi, you were given this name when you were born and you should use it proudly. There are many words written that are difficult to pronounce, but that doesn’t stop us from using them.
Go for it!
Gerhi,
Why not just use your first name by itself? It is your name, it is ethnic, it is easy to remember, it is noticable, it is close to the beginning of the alphabet for placement on shelves.
When you do interviews, you bring up the whole name. When you do autographs you can sign your real name and make the book more of a collector’s item.
Putting a spin on your name will also give people something to talk about, and that is what advertizement is all about.
Good luck with your choice.
Mary Andrews
You might also consider Gerhi V. (has a nice sound to it)
Gary von Vuren is my vote
Don’t forget about author Bodie Theone (Tay-ne) and actor(?)Jean-Claude van Damme. Stay with as much of your name as possible, or at least G.P. van Vuuren. The double letters are cool … Ted Dekker, anyone?
Janse Vuuren has a great sound to it. Or Janse van Vuuren (my maiden name is Van Vleet)
My vote is for either of these.
I tend to shorten and combine several long words in what my mom and I call short tongue, and I gravitate toward that with your name. (I used to call myself a Catholbaptiristian when I couldn’t decide if I was Catholic, Baptist, or Christian. Glad THAT phase is over.)
Here are a few short tongue names:
Gertrusben Janse van Vuuren (or Vanren, I suppose)
Getrusben J. van Vuuren
Gerpeben Janse van Vuuren
Getrusben van Vuuren
Getrusben Vuuren
It might be short tongue, but it’s still all you. You could also go with solely your sur name, which is terrific, or your first name stand-alone.
Janse van Vuuren
Gerhardus (love this despite pronunciation)
Or a simple pen name of Van Vuuren which is also nice and pronounceable.
Best wishes with your name choice.
PS: Simple names aren’t always easiest. You’d think Brandy Brow is simple to pronounce but most people call me Brandy Brow, like cow, when it’s really Brandy Brow, like snow.
Look at it this way: Your unique name will actually help you in promotion because any time you politely correct the pronunciation of your name, it lodges in people’s minds and lingers where it wouldn’t otherwise with authors sporting an easily pronounced name like Randy Ingermanson. 😉
Anglicize it just by two letters: one for pronounciation and the other for gender identity. Gehri becomes Garhy. Unless “Janse” is important to you personally, legally, or culturally, I’d suggest dropping it. Finally, who says you have to initialize your first name only? My suggestion then is:
Garhy van V.
Easy to sign. Easy to remember. Unique. Closely enough related to your real name to work as a pen name. And www.gharyvanv.com is still available.
Gerhi,
I’m coming late to the discussion here. Sorry. I kind of like your name. It’s unique, at least here in the States. It means people will likely remember it. However, you are correct in that we English speakers are going to mangle it in lots of interesting ways.
My suggestion is to not change the name, per se, but to alter the spelling a bit so that it becomes more obvious to English speakers how to pronounce it. Since I’m not sure I actually know how to pronounce it, I don’t have a suggestion for what that should be. The advantages of this are that it still sounds like your name. In fact, it really is your name just with some minor spelling alterations. Also, we silly English speakers might actually get it right more often than not.
~Andrew
I know the “contest” is on hold because of Gerhi’s comments above, but here is a completely different idea.
For me, I chose a last-name pseudonym mainly because my own last name is both un-pronounceable and un-spellable. In that sense I you and I are in the same boat.
So why didn’t I go with something more common than “Treskillard”? It was because even though I wanted a pseudonym, I still wanted something that rang true of my identity and was unique.
So I reached back into my family’s history and took a name from my mother’s ancestors (~1600’s) that was more pronounceable.
The side benefit of this for me is that I am writing a historical fantasy that begins in Cornwall, and this name would be recognizable by anyone from that area as Cornish.
Also, the name is very rare, making it easier for someone to find me on the internet, and I was able to get the domain using just the last name, which makes it shorter.
So … for what it’s worth, you might be able to dig into your family’s past and find a name that is more pronounceable, but that still pleases you and is unique. And if you can tie this into the book you are writing, you may be ahead even more.
Many people spell my last name with ‘son’ instead of the correct ‘sen,’ but I won’t change my name just to make more people correct when they spell it. It’s my name and I’m proud of it.
My two cents – I really like the sound of Gerhi Janse. I rarely use my last name because my first name is somewhat unique (except for the line of Alaska sled dogs with the same name).
I think you need to stay as close to your first name as possible simply for the fact that when you are selling and promoting your natural tendancy is to respond to your first name and a nom-du-plume may not be natural to you. I am concerned about the stalker aspect of all this. How about Gerhi Jones. Not too sexy, huh? I agree with Caroleah (also a cool name) Gerhi Janse is lyrical and most interviewers shouldn’t slaughter it too badly.
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