Is Using a Pseudonym a Bad Idea?

When I decided to publish my books, I had to make a choice whether to use my real name or a pseudonym. I searched all over the Internet for advice to guide me in my decision. In the end, I used both, and I'll tell you why.

Why did I use a pseudonym?

First of all, I wanted to publish books for different age groups. I wanted to be free to try out different genres, and using pseudonyms gave me
the freedom to experiment. I published a paranormal romance using a pseudonym and then decided to use my real name for my children's books. My reasoning for using different names was that no child was likely to pick up a romance book because it was by the same author as the middle grade books, and I still think that's a wise approach.

Another good reason to use a pseudonym is because an author name--real or not--is like a brand, and I wasn't sure I was ready to create a brand with my real name all over it. What I said was, "Using a pseudonym will allow me to avoid the masses who are eager to brush shoulders with a real novelist and protect my privacy so I can at least try live a normal life, despite being ridiculously rich and famous." What I was really thinking was, "What if my book totally sucks?"

Although my paranormal romance is what it is--a fluffy werewolf romance--I've since gotten over the fear of being "found out." I was surprised to learn how many of my coworkers read paranormal romance. Perhaps I am the "normal" person in the family, after all?  Maybe?  No??

Why did I decide to use my real name for children's books?

Originally, I had plans to use different pseudonyms for both my adult books and children's books (because of the hoard of uncontrollable fans, remember?); however, I ended up going with my real name. Although I do read a lot of paranormal fiction for adults, children's books were like my first love. They were special to me, and--go ahead and laugh--I knew that I wouldn't be as embarrassed for my mom to read a children's book I wrote as I would if she decided to read my werewolf romance. Sad, but true! Writing for children includes everything from board books to young adult--even poetry! So, I was leaving a lot of room to publish under my real name.

Are there any drawbacks to using a Pseudonym?

Yes. If you're talking to associates in person, they might not believe that you're the actual author of the book. The initial reaction I got from people who didn't already know I was writing a book was that it was a joke. I've never been the type of person who attempted to take credit for other people's work, but these people didn't know me that well, obviously, or they'd have known I was writing a book.

I do sometimes feel a bit "fake" about the pseudonym, like it's not really me. However, I try to be authentically me in all of the blogging and marketing that I do and not use the name in order to pretend to be someone else who does things that I don't want being associated with my real name. I'm not using it to avoid a lawsuit because the dialogue was dictated verbatim while the couple in the apartment next door was having an adult conversation. I'm still the same person who likes fun and fantasy in her life, whether it's a fairy tale or a werewolf romance. In fact, I laugh at some of the similarities between my paranormal romance and my fairy tale.  They have so much in common, you'd think the same person wrote both of them!

Are there disadvantages to writing under different names?

The main drawback I found in writing under two names is that you have to work on every brand that you build.  Using more than one name will pretty much double the work load (and expense) you have to do in marketing your books. Two websites (unless you decide to become a "publisher" and get a business license, which would make it easier to have one website with multiple author names and books), two blogs, two Facebook pages, two Twitter IDs, two... you get the picture. Also, it takes longer to build a reputation for two names because you might not have time to work on projects for both names at the same time.

I had originally planned to use a different name for every niche and age group, but I soon came to my senses and realized how much work I was creating for myself. I'm satisfied with the decision to publish under two names. Although there will probably come a point in time where it's no secret that I and my pseudonym are the same person, it will be understood that my pseudonym does not publish children's books and vice versa. My writing life would be much simpler if I only wrote one genre for one age group under one name, but it's the price I have to pay for the freedom to create what I want when I want and how I want.