Why to authors sometime use pseudonyms? Like Madeleine Wickham also writes under the name of Sophie Kinsella?

Answer 1

I can think of several reasons:

1. Writing in different genres. Sometimes an author becomes famous for one type of writing, such as romance novels. If they decide to branch out and start writing in another genre, as well, they can have a hard time crossing over and maintaining popularity in both genres. It's easier to publish the new books under a pseudonym. That way they don't lose their original audience, and they don't lose out on a new audience because of their association with another genre.

2. Anonymity. Many authors would prefer to keep their personal lives separate from their professional lives. Obviously, their friends will know who they are, but rabid fans will be less likely to show up on their doorstep, asking for autographs, if they have kept their real name to themselves. In past centuries, it was almost necessary for some authors to maintain anonymity. For example, starting in the late 16th century, and continuing into the late 19th century, there was a type of novel that was very popular which told all the secrets and intrigues of high society. Usually, real names were changed, but that was about it, and any half-knowledgable reader could easily identify the real people the characters were based on. These novels were widely read because they exposed all sorts of aristocratic gossip, such as affairs, gambling habits, money troubles, etc...Writers of such books had to remain anonymous if they did not wish to be ostracized for exposing everyone's dirty little secrets.

3. Marketing purposes. Generally, pseudonyms used for marketing purposes have to do with the author's gender and the reading public's perception of whether or not they should be writing the types of books they write. For example, Marian Evans wrote under the name George Eliot because writing at that time (mid 19th century) was considered a man's business and an unseemly job for a woman. Today, there are still several genres of popular fiction where the public expects the author to be of a certain gender, such as romance novels and military or mercenary adventures. I imagine it can be very difficult to market a novel by a new writer if your target audience has the perception that they cannot possibly write well about their subject simply because they are the "wrong" gender.

4. Legal reasons. Often, a publisher signs a contract with an author based on novels written under one name. For the publishing house, buying the rights to that name is like buying the rights to a brand. The author may choose to write other books and be under contract with another publisher as well, but to do that, they have to write their other novels under a pseudonym.

5. Tax purposes. I am not sure what the exact laws are now, but I know that as recently as 15 years ago, there were tax laws in the US that basically "punished" an author for publishing too many novels in one year. If I remember correctly, the magic number of novels you could publish in one year was 2, but after that, the money you made on subsequent novels was taxed differently, with the 3rd novel being taxed more heavily, the 4th being taxed more than the 3rd, etc...Many writers who make a good living never have a bestselling novel. Their novels aren't even published in hardback versions. For them, the money comes from writing quickly and getting as many novels out to the public as possible. The tax laws had a loophole, and that loophole was that the taxing scheme was set up for novels published under one name; pseudonyms were an easy way for an author to avoid being taxed outrageously just because they managed to get 6 novels in print in a short amount of time.

6. Curiosity. I have read interviews with many authors who have written under pseudonyms, and many of them do it out of curiosity. They wonder if their books will still be read and sell well if their famous names are not attached to them. (Stephen King using the pseudonym Richard Bachman is a good example of this.)

I hope some of this lengthy answer will be of interest to you :)

Answer 2

It enables authors to write different types of materials. For example, if someone who wrote popular and successful romances wanted to try writing horror, it would enable them to do so without being criticised or having people hold high or low expectations.

Other authors, such as ghostwriters, use pseudonyms to continue on series after an author dies or stops writing. For example, the Nancy Drew series is credited to Carolyn Keene, but there never was a real person with that name and there has been a number of writers who have contributed stories.

Answer 3

I don't know but I know that Patrick McGoohan who starred in the 60 tv series The Prisoner, created the concept of the programme, wrote most of the scripts & produced & directed some of them too. He used pseudonyms because he didn't want to hype himself up & take all the glory or critiscism whatever way you look at.

If you have seen the film Cassanova with Sienna Miller & Heath Ledger. Sienna's character was writing under a pseudonym because it was illegal for women to write books.

I give you useless information but thats what I am good at.

Answer 4

Also, there's the issue of brancing out. I know a woman who makes a decent living writing romance novels. She would love to write "serious" books, but since she published the romance novels under her real name she has to submit the other books under a pseudonym because no one reading regular novels would take her seriously if they knew she wrote stuff with Fabio on the cover. Same with how Anne Rice wrote fairy tale erotica under a pseudonym. When you know a woman for writing exciting, introspective stories about vampires OR bodice-ripping versions of Sleeping Beauty, etc., the other might be less appealing to you. This way she counquers both markets without anyone having pre-concieved notions about how she'll write.

Answer 5

A little hard to answer.

Because we get into the stories and the characters we write. We visualize the pseudonyms (also called pen names), as somewhat closer to the character.

In the age of Internet nics, it should be easy to understand.

Samuel Clemens always wrote as Mark Twain. It was an important term on the Mississippi River, and it reflected his views and mind set for his stories better than "Samuel Clemens" would have.

People take Internet nics for the same reason. It isn't being anonymous in a lot of cases, it is portraying yourself in a way you want to be known.

I would point out, a lot of actors do that too, only they legally change their name. Rock Hudson, John Wayne, etc.

Then we get into music... John Cougar, John Denver, Madonna.

Sort of the image you want to project...

-Dio

Answer 6

It increases the book sale to some extent if you have a famous author pseudonym. And also the do it to avoid publicity tooo much.

Answer 7

To increase sales. Also, sometimes one publisher will get the rights to one particular pseudonym.

Answer 8

Three reasons come to mind immediately: 1) so that their friends don't recognize themselves in the books, 2) because their names are in some way unattractive; 3) so that they can maintain their normal personal identities ... they might not want to be judged (positively or negatively) by friends and/or family, they might not want their writing's success or failure to affect their career or profession, and they might want to keep their privacy.

Answer 9

yea stephen king uses the pseudonym of richard bachman

Answer 10

Sometimes authors, actors, singers, and other celebrities don't want to make their real identities known. After all, they have a private life, too, though you wouldn't think it from reading the newspapers and tabloids.