When you’re writing a novel, how do you decide what author name to use on the cover?
Jessica posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page:
Hi Randy, I love both your blog and e-zine!
My question is whether I should publish under a pseudonym or not. Unfortunately my name (Jessica Smith) is an incredibly common name and so I share it with at least one already published author, although she writes in a different genre to me and uses her middle name too. Does this mean I should publish under a pseudonym instead? Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!
Randy sez: This is a good question and it’s going to affect you for the rest of your publishing career, so it’s worth thinking about carefully.
When I started writing, I though you were “supposed to” use your legal name. So my first several books were all published under the name “Randall Ingermanson.” But NOBODY on the planet calls me “Randall” except telemarketers. Everybody calls me “Randy.” Furthermore, my name is long enough that it causes problems on the cover.
So I’ve recently switched to using the author name “Randy Ingermanson” which feels less formal and more right. Plus it saves two letters on the cover. This has caused me some hassle to make sure that online retailers know that “Randall” and “Randy” are the same person. In the long run, I think it’ll pay off.
It would have been smarter if I’d started off using the right name from the beginning.
Jessica, you have several options, each with advantages and disadvantages, and only you have enough information to decide which is right for you. I don’t know your middle name, so I made one up for you in the examples that follow:
- Use your name: Jessica Smith
- Use your full name: Jessica Gretchen Smith
- Use your initials: J.G. Smith
- Use a pseudonym
The advantage of using “Jessica Smith” is that it’s the name everybody already knows you by. When your friends and family search for you, they’ll find you easily. The disadvantage is that there’ll be a bit of confusion with that other Jessica Smith. However, she’s done you the favor of using her middle name, which leaves you free to not use yours.
The advantage of using “Jessica Gretchen Smith” is that it mostly removes the confusion with that other Jessica. Mostly, but not completely. However, this solution is less confusing than using “Jessica Smith” so it might be a good bet if your middle name isn’t too long. You do need your name to fit on the cover in a readable size font. That would be the main disadvantage I can see–if it makes your name too long.
The advantage of “J.G. Smith” is that you remove the ambiguity with the other Jessica. However, there might be another “J.G. Smith” out there, so this might just trade one ambiguity for another. Plenty of authors use initials. J.K. Rowling and J.D. Robb seem to have done OK that way. For sure, your name will be short enough so your publisher can put your name in giant letters on the cover. But you’ll always have to remind your family and friends to look for “J.G.” instead of “Jessica”.
The advantage of a pseudonym is that you have almost infinite freedom to choose a name that’s unique, cool, memorable, and short. The disadvantage of a pseudonym is that you have almost infinite freedom to choose a name that’s unique, cool, memorable, and short. Plus you have to constantly explain to people why you don’t use your real name. Plus, if you ever make it big, all those jerks who ignored you in high school will never know and won’t beat themselves up for being awful to you.
None of the above is a really bad option. If your middle name is short enough, then that option might be the best. But it’s up to you.
The really critical question is this: How important is it to avoid the ambiguity?
For example, if you were writing sweet Amish romances and the other Jessica were writing naughty erotica, then it would be Xtremely important and you should try as hard as possible to differentiate your name from hers.
However, if you were writing police procedural mysteries and she were writing category romances, it would probably be not much of a problem and you wouldn’t need to work quite so hard.
If you’ve got a question you’d like me to answer in public on this blog, hop on over to my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page and submit your question. I’ll answer them in the order they come in.
Good, practical advice.
And now for the fun part of choosing a pseudonym:
http://www.shelfactualization.com/2011/12/art-of-pseudonym.html
Hi Randy, I have another suggestion for Jessica Smith. She could use just her first and middle names. That would eliminate the too common Smith, differentiat her from the other Jessica Smith, allow her to use her own given names and still use her real names. Her family and friends would still be able to find her under her own names. Something to think about anyway.
awe i am writing a book. i will be back soon when i am DONE with my book…………………………………………….
I face a similar problem as the other John M. Poindexter, the Watergate navy guy and I have the same name, with the exception that our middle names are different, but both start with M.
I use only the first and last name. It has taken me over a year to break through all the listings on Google so that I show up higher in the list. Now I am number two on the list when you do a name search of just first and last names. If you use the initial, then it is on page two but you can’t tell it is me or him until you click on it.
So, it a hard decision to make on what to use. But, once you choose, stick with it so your readers can find you.
Good luck with your books Jessica.
I can relate to this, except my issue is even more challenging. There is:
1) another author in a genre completely contrary to mine but that is similar enough that without looking people could mix us up. Her name: Same first, last & middle initial as mine.
2) Just using my first & last isn’t an option as there is a reporter among quite a few others with the same name, even a songwriter, and I also write songs I plan to publish!
Since l will be writing nonfiction, & I want my books to connect to what I do as a vocation, I don’t want to use a pen name. That would prove confusing & require far too much explaining.
I thought to use my maiden name initial instead of the middle initial (with it spelled out it’s too long), & there’s someone only 3 years younger than I with a record in that name.
I feel very stuck on this one. Being mistaken by others with any of these folks could actually affect me selling books or living out my vocation. :-\
I’ve decided on using my first and middle name because they’re beautiful and sweet, like me.
Um, yeah, and in case I get married someday, I don’t have to worry about the last name thingy.
I chose to include my maiden name because there were so many Julie Johnsons and also because it made me recognizable to the friends and acquaintances of my youth. (Also, I wanted to acknowledge the role my parents played in my life.)
Thanks for asking the question, Jessica. I also have been wrestling with this question a lot. Kristen Johnson is also very common, for example, my sister-in-law is also named Kristin Johnson, though with a “i”.
The middle name as a last name I don’t think works for me since I’ve never heard of someone with the last name of Gwen, so I’ve pretty much decided on being Kristen G. Johnson.
As for a pseudonyms, I know plenty of people have them, but it seems a little dishonest to me. I’m not Mildred Hancock, I’m Kristen Johnson, and as common as that name is, that’s who I am. And, as Randy said, it’s a hassle to have to explain it to everyone.
I was kinda hoping you could help me out here; you see I’m a young writer, I’m only 14, and I plan on publishing a book before I graduate to help get some extra revenue in for college. I would like to do it for a living, but I know that is not likely.
Anyway, My full name is Kiera Dankesreiter, quite a mouth full for a reader. But on all of my paperwork for sports, book club, or choir, everyone has me written down as Kdank. I was wondering if it may be a good idea to use this as my title or not. Maybe write it as K.Dank but I’m hoping I can get a quick opinion.
Thank you!
-Kiera
Kiera,
It’s not uncommon for authors to use abbreviated and/or simplified forms of their names. Using K. Dank is certainly a reasonable option. Kiera is a pretty name, short, and not overly common, so you could also go with Kiera Dank.
You might want to consider, though, that the word “dank” doesn’t have the most positive connotations in English. The full name Dankesreiter sounds Germanic. If you include the “e” on the first part, you get “danke” (pronounced “dahn-kuh”), the German word for “thank you”. I don’t know if using K. Danke would provide a better impression, or how many people would even realize that it’s pronounced differently than “dank”, but it might be another option to think about.
Thank you for the reply. And when you mentioned German, I laughed because as far as my family knows, my last name means “thank the writer” in German. My first name in I believe Irish means “little dark one”. It seems I was born to be a dark themed author
I’ll stick with the first and last name. Show all the people in high school I pretended to like haha. But seriously, pseudonyms are overrated. As a reader, I’d rather know someones real name.
I think “Kristen Gwen” has a nice ring to it. 🙂
I have the same issue and am strongly leaning towards the initial route as our genres are to close and readers could get confused. She writes Literary and I write literary suspense so just different enough that readers would be upset at getting the wrong writers book, especially since she has changed how she uses her name on the books making it more confusing for readers. Although my husband swears the best solution is to use his name as a pseudonym lol but since that’s not going to happen initials for me. Although that middle name solution does have merit..
Oh no this thread got me to google all my options there is a writer with my name, a writer with my initials, my maiden name is the same as the lady claiming to me elvis’s daughter, then my middle name well Lisa Marie just doesn’t work..sigh first name middle initial last name is OK (for now) lol
Sorry to drag up a year old post, but I just wanted to add that you may want to consider using a pseudonym to remain anonymous, just as JK Rowling attempted to do with her Robert Galbraith pen name.
As an independent author looking to use Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service, I’m not writing to become rich and famous, nor am I interested in impressing the idiots with whom I went to school (I did leave school a couple of decades ago). Furthermore, as a parent, I want to shield my children from any unwanted attention (yes, I am getting ahead of myself there, but nonetheless). I’m not even telling my friends and family. While I recognise this means I’ll lose out on some potential downloads, for me the benefits of anonymity are far greater.
I am thinking of changing my writer name to my full maiden name before I am a published novelist. I don’t think it will hurt my husband’s feelings and it is the second married name I have had…haven’t made mind up…might just use Mary Young Robinson and skip the middle name too…any advice on that?
I’d drop either Young or Robinson, myself.
Hello there,
Can anyone tell me if I can use a pseudonym as a translator?
I know it is quite different than a fiction author, but still…
Thank you
I believe that you can use a pseudonym in any profession as long as you register it as a business name. Could just be in California, where I’m from, though.
Jumping into this debate in 2018. I married late and didn’t start writing fiction until after i was married. I’m known among friends as Sue Jeffrey (married name) and I like that name but I still use my maiden name of Sue or Susan Bruce professionally. I haven’t had any major publications to date – just short stories etc – but I’ve written short stories mainly as Sue Jeffrey. My problem is that I’ve felt a niggle on and off that i should be writing under my maiden name. I was thinking of Susan J Bruce. The J being a reference to Jeffrey. I like that – its a good author name – but most of the people who know me socially, know me as Sue Jeffrey. I’m torn about this as i like both options. If I’m going to change I need to do it now as an anthology I’ve been editing will be published shortly and there are other works in the pipeline. I really don’t know how to make the call. I could use two author names, one for faith based work and another for general market but that means more work. I thought of Susan Bruce-Jeffrey but that’s too long. Any thoughts?
I’m about to publish my first eBook, and I need help in the area of the name to use. ‘Joy Chinonso Nwafor’ is my name, should I include all or use initial.
I was thinking of using initial on my middle name or ‘Chino’ instead.
Please help.
Thanks
Joy Chino Nwafor sounds good 👍🏽
What did you end up deciding Sue?
Hi can I use my first name only when publishing
Does Mike Stone count as a pseudonym if my name is Michael Stone? Do you have to do any legal paperwork?
Doesn’t seem like a pseudonym to me. I’m not a lawyer, but I can’t imagine having to do legal paperwork to publish under this name.
Here’s hoping someone is still reading this thread in 2022! As I begin building a platform for myself, I’m struggling with whether to include my middle name or not. What sounds better: Alyssa Bentham OR Alyssa Marie Bentham? Is my full name too long and wordy?
There are a couple of reasons that some of my friends have used three names as their author name:
1) They have a common first/last name combination and they want to make their full name less common. “John Smith” is a lot more common than “John Quincy Smith.”
2) Some of my female author friends got married and changed their last name and they want to maintain their pre-marriage identity in their author name.
In your case, Alyssa, your name is equally interesting with or without the middle name, so it’s purely a matter of which you personally like better. As a guy with a long name, I’ll add that my cover designers have sometimes had to work hard to get my name on the cover, so there’s a case for keeping it short.
Good luck,
Randy