: Authenticity and writing under a pen name My question is about marketing and using a pen name. Ofc I want to connect to readers, but I wonder if it's possible to be authentic if you're not
My question is about marketing and using a pen name. Ofc I want to connect to readers, but I wonder if it's possible to be authentic if you're not revealing your 'true' identity. Is this a matter of 'do what feels right to you'?
Edit: I'm not asking about why authors use pen names, or who (known or unknown) or how. An unknown author who is working to market their own work can go to e-conferences, tell friends and family about their work, share it across all of their social media profiles. An unknown author who is publishing under a pen name has to build connections from scratch. My question is about building those connections under a "fake" identity. How do you authentically connect to readers using a pen name, outside of your work? Or is that not a question, do writers who publish under a pen name just focus on the work and not bother with trying to connect with readers on social or via email marketing?
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@Correia211
Are people that go by a nickname hiding there true identity?
If so, I have several Bobs that will be very unhappy about this. A pen name is just that, a professional nickname you've chosen to go by.
There is one big upside to a pen name - privacy. You may wish to keep your writing and "day job" separate. On a more serious note, Tim Ferriss, who wrote the "4 hour work week" talked about his life after the book. He's had to deal with stalkers and death threats and has to be much more guarded in public.
Pen names are common enough I doubt any sane reader would see it as inauthentic.
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@Rivera824
Whether a pseudonym subtly pushes you, specifically, towards glibness is a question only you can answer.
Writers who are known for their work in a specific genre and want to switch to a different one sometimes write under a different name. Does that mean they're less proud of their work? No. If anything, they do it not to disappoint existing fans. It's a valid reason, and plenty more exist.
Sincerely,
Somebody writing this post under a pen name
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@Pope4766717
Names are only one aspect of "identity" - much like writing is only one aspect of your life, and writing under a pen name is nothing more than giving "NJM-as-author" a convenient label, so long as you aren't actually pretending to be someone else to cash in on their fame or ride their proverbial coattails it's completely authentic. Authors use pen-names for all sorts of reasons, marketing, because they think it sounds cool, because they want to separate the different styles and genres of their works.
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