Pen Name

Hello Fellow Writers!

So I'm still waiting to hear back from both Ellora's Cave (my erotic romance "The Art Thief's Punishment" went past the initial editorial review and is being considered by the acquiring editors) and Silhouette Desire (they requested a partial based on my synopsis for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant"), which is to be expected.

I've been working on another erotic romance called "Taste of Candy", which is targeted towards Ellora's Cave theme "Musical Madness". It's about a rock star and the woman named Candy who he falls in love with.

I decided that when I'm writing erotic romance, I will use the pen name "Shoshanna Evers". Not because I plan on being anonymous - I just don't think that my real name is particularly appropriate sounding for erotic romance. I also don't want future readers of my category type romances to accidentally pick up one of my erotica books and get surprised by the content! This way it will be easy for readers (ahem, future readers, that is) to know what sort of story of mine they are about to read.

I found an interesting article by Michael Pollick entitled "Should a Writer Adopt a Pen Name?". Here is an excerpt, click here for the whole article.

PRO: Pseudonyms can increase an author's overall marketability. If you write action/adventure novels, you may want to adopt a name that is more suited to the genre. "Rivers of Blood" by 'Tank McThunder' may appeal more to the readers than "Rivers of Blood" by Murray Fishbinder. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with the Fishbinder name, but in a promotional sense you need to hook your readers from the beginning. Other pseudonyms may take on even more significance, such as "Trevanian" or "Phaedrus". As a marketing tool, a good pseudonym can boost sales and create enough positive buzz to give your 'name' some strong selling power.

CON: A poorly chosen pseudonym can hurt your chances of acceptance. As a beginning writer, you have very little leverage with publishers as it is, so you may not want to muddy the waters further by using a pretentious or gimmicky pen name. Insisting on a blatantly obvious pseudonym may make you a one or two hit wonder, but won't give you staying power. If your own name is reasonably marketable and your work is meant to be taken seriously, you should not resort to a meaningless pen name. Later in your career you may feel the need to use a pen name for works outside your established genre, but you need a name and reputation first.
PRO: Pseudonyms can make artistic statements for the author. Sometimes a writer takes on a subject that is highly controversial or threatens to expose secrets. Rather than remain anonymous or risk personal injury as the named author, you may want to use a pen name for protection. The pen name you choose may reflect some element of the controversy, or establish your credibility as an expert on the subject. "Secrets of the Emergency Room" by 'Dr. Dread' may sound like a gimmick, but it does establish that the author is a doctor and that his or her information may jeopardize careers. In a different vein, you may choose a pseudonym based on a character you enjoy from literature or history. A well-chosen pseudonym can add an air of mystery or intrigue.
CON: Pseudonyms can create 'identities' from which there is no escape. In the same way that an actor may be linked forever with a popular character, an author may be linked forever with the character created by a pseudonym. Some authors may create elaborate backstories to give dimension to their alter ego pseudonyms. In essence, the pseudonym's fantasy personality may overwhelm the actual writer's persona. Many authors who use pseudonyms discover that they must keep using that pseudonym long past its usefulness. Efforts to publish works under their real names may be met with rejection or reluctance. If you are comfortable with the idea of perpetuating a character that writes your books, then a pseudonym can work. If you are concerned that a gimmicky pen name will take away your future credibility, then don't use one.

This week my focus will be on finishing the first draft of "Taste of Candy". I expect it to be between 10K and 15k words.

Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers