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Using a pen name
Annabelle R Charbit
Posted: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 12:22 PM
Joined: 4/26/2011
Posts: 54


At least one really famous author Samuel Clemens used a pen name very successfully, and is known for it as Mark Twain.

Annabelle
www.ridiculouslife.net



Is it better to use a pen name as an author, verses using your actual name?
Dennise Sleeper
Posted: Thursday, December 8, 2011 8:00 PM
This is a great question and one I've considered. Here's a link to some pro's and con's. Although, in the end, it's really up to you.

http://www.mbbp.com/resources/iptech/pseudonyms.html

Hope I didn't make your decision harder.


Angela Martello
Posted: Thursday, December 8, 2011 8:52 PM
Joined: 8/21/2011
Posts: 394


When I was in college back during the Jurassic, one of my geology professors told me that I should consider changing/shortening my name because "no one will take anyone with an ethnic-sounding name seriously."

Needless to say, his "advice" rubbed me the wrong way and I resolved back then to always be proud of my name. So, would I use a pen name? No.

By the way, an art history professor at the same college, used to say how much he loved Italian names. He thought they were lyrical.


Alexandria Brim
Posted: Thursday, December 8, 2011 10:10 PM
Joined: 10/20/2011
Posts: 350


I considered a pen name. Now it's a bit too tied to my internet identity on other sites.

Angela, I had a bit of the opposite experience in college. I was a theater minor and in every class I took for it, every professor would comment how my name is the perfect stage name. So I realized that if it's the perfect stage name, it'd be good as a pen name if it weren't my real name.