: How to choose a good/suitable pseudonym I write fantasy humour (fantahumour, if you will) stories but I have recently written a rather different story in the form of a horror. Naturally, I want

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As Lauren Ipsum says, you'd have to build a reputation on the quality of your books, not the cleverness of a pseudonym. I suppose a well-chosen pseudonym could do SOMETHING toward a reputation. If I saw a horror story written by "Melody Sunshine" would I be less likely to buy and read it because of the totally non-horror sounding name? I don't know; it might be a small, semi-conscious factor. As What says, an over-the-top name might well just make you look silly. If I saw a horror novel by "Demon McDark" I think I'd find that more laughable than compelling. Maybe, possibly, just the right name could give the right connotations. But I think the effort you put in to selecting just the right name would be better spent writing a better novel. Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King have sold quite a few horror stories without having names that of themselves have any particular association with horror.

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