Should I Publish Under a Pseudonym?

Whether you’re drafting a novel, short story, nonfiction, or a memoir, writing is a vulnerable experience. No matter your genre, the writing process can often surprise us as we delve into depths of our psyche and our soul to a degree perhaps we’ve never before done…let alone allowed anyone in our lives to see, either. For that matter, the idea of putting that manuscript in the hands of strangers—your future readers—can be daunting in an altogether unique way. Those strangers will inevitably wonder who wrote the work they’ve formed opinions about (whether those opinions are positive or negative), and at some point, they will want to learn a bit more about you, the author. 

But who is the you that you allow them to know?  

Depending on your personal life, your profession, and even your genre, answering that question can be a complex journey. Thankfully, generations of writers who have come before us have already found a solution for aspiring authors who seek to maintain a level of privacy between their literary endeavors and the rest of their lives: a pen name. 

Alternatively known as a pseudonym or nom de plume, a pen name is a name chosen by the author (other than their legal name) that can be used to create a level of privacy between the author’s actual identity and their audience. It can be used to supplement a complex name for a simpler one, such as the decision of Samuel Langhorne Clemens to instead write as Mark Twain. A pseudonym can also be used as a form of protection, such as for political journalists who write about hot topics (ex., abortion access or marriage equality) and want to ensure their personal information cannot be doxed (or is at least much harder for adversaries to access). Furthermore, any individual who wants to conceal their writing from people in their real lives—like family members or friends or business associates—could publish under a pen name, too. Other reasons a pseudonym may be used include: 

• Having a legal or given name that is common (ex., Emily Smith) or similar to a celebrity’s name (Nick Jones, which sounds like Nick Jonas) 
• Venturing into a new genre, such as if you’re well-established in academic circles for historical nonfiction but want to write romance or children’s books (this can also avoid confusing readers who are fans of your previous writing but not your new genre) 
• A desire or need to keep portions of your life private (especially common for authors of memoirs that feature trauma, abuse survival, addiction, etc.) 

In addition to the personal or professional reasons why using a pseudonym might make sense, it’s also worth analyzing the relationship between your writerly identity and your genre. 

Nonfiction 

For writers of nonfiction, it’s vital to consider the reasons why readers select these books. Nonfiction and memoir readers often seek to learn something, whether about history, science, lifestyle, or lived experiences. This means that nonfiction writers are experts in their subject, and their books connect to their professional endeavors or personal journeys. Depending on the exact content of your manuscript—as well as your legal name—there are a few scenarios that may necessitate the use of a pen name. 

As an example, if you’re writing a cookbook, but your legal name is Stuart (“Stu”) Koch, it’s worth asking yourself how a name that seems to be a pun—given the subject of your book—might impact its image. If you envision a way to incorporate your name into your brand, great! But if you worry that readers might see your name as a play on words and your cookbook is meant to have a more serious tone, such as a collection of gourmet recipes, you may want to consider using a pseudonym. 

For a business or medical professional who wants to write a memoir, they may need to consider how their life story may influence their career or professional relationships. If potential clients, associates, or patients read your memoir, how might that influence your professional relationship with them? Would you be comfortable with them knowing intimate details about your life? These are questions that only you can answer, and we strongly encourage you to carefully consider the hypothetical outcome of your professional relationships knowing about your personal life in detail. Writing under a pseudonym allows some anonymity if you’re publishing a story of abuse survival and one’s abusers are still living (though a lawyer in your territory should always be consulted with any concerns you may have about libel). 

As a memoir author myself, I want to add that I chose to publish my first book, Me, Too: Voicing My Story, under my legal name because my career is based around my story as a trauma survivor. While I have a few concerns about my identity being known to the parents of my children’s friends, I decided I would cross that bridge when I come to it; after all, as my children grow up, they will know who I am, what I do, and why, so I’m at peace with the idea of possibly having some uncomfortable conversations in the future. However, it’s a decision I toiled over for several months, and it’s not one that anyone else could make for me. At Josha, we believe there is no shame to be found in sharing what you’ve overcome or survived, and we also advise our authors to consider potential consequences of their complete life story being widely known. 

Fiction 

Similarly, for writers of fiction, it’s important to consider why readers select these books as well as the content of your manuscript. For many readers, they are typically seeking some form of escape; regardless of their exact preferred fiction genre—whether that’s fantasy or domestic fiction or historical fiction—they are eager to travel through their imagination into a new world as a form of entertainment. For zealous fans, a certain level of curiosity about that author’s life is to be expected, but it’s important that a clear barrier exists between the author’s lived experience and imagined works—that the book can stand on its own merit, without the influence of the author’s experiences, which may be very different from those of their fictional characters. 

Fiction writers oftentimes have not lived the same lives as their characters; while they may have thoroughly researched times past or countries they’ve never visited or other qualities of their stories, ultimately, their books are creative writing, works of fiction. And for certain genres, some writers may prefer that their identity be concealed from individuals in their personal lives (ex., an author of a steamy novel may not want their boss at their day job knowing they wrote it, or a psychologist who writes thrillers may not want their associates to know where their imagination takes them). Thus, using a pen name can help create a hedge of protection between the elements of the author’s life they share with their readers, whether that’s through social media or their writing, and the nuances of their personal lives. 

The decision to publish using a pseudonym is a personal decision, one that every writer can only make for themselves. While no one can tell you what you should do, our recommendation is to consider how readers knowing your real name could impact your personal life; likewise, ask yourself how individuals in your personal life knowing you’re the one who authored a particular book could influence those relationships. Of course, even if you do use a pseudonym, that doesn’t mean your writing must remain a secret from everyone—just make sure they’re aware of your decision to use a pen name and ask that they respect that choice if they choose to recommend your writing to other readers. Finally, remember that regardless of your choice to publish using a pseudonym or not, it will always be your book.