I’ve been sitting on a manuscript since 2010, a satirical science fiction novel with the working title of Offlining about a video gamer who even sleeps while online but ventures into the real world to stop his childhood friend from becoming a suicide bomber. He succeeds but gets swept into the secret world of the ultra-rich, whose tech and morals are outlandish, and discovers that life offline is more bizarre than any game he’s ever played.
There is much more humor and sex in this book than in anything else I’ve written. Tweaking the manuscript has been a sort of relief valve for me over the years. When my other writing—or my life—became too intense, I’d make Offlining even wackier.
Some publishers considered it but ultimately passed, and I let an agent go for not being able to sell it anywhere, so I’ll self-publish it. But here’s the thing: fans of my Hardscrabble Road series or any of my other books might not like it. And this will probably be a one-off, just something I enjoyed dabbling with for more than a decade and finally want to put out in the world. Thus, I’m thinking of releasing the book under a pen name. I’ll let my newsletter readers know about its publication, but the book will be otherwise unconnected to me, lest I offend or disappoint someone who then won’t try any of my other books.
There’s quite a long list of authors much more famous than I am who adopted pen names, from Charles Dickens and Stephen King to Agatha Christie and JK Rowling. Their reasons varied but most often had to do with either fearing that they’d create a bad reputation early on if their initial publications weren’t well-received or not wanting to confuse readers of their popular works (and thus ruin a good reputation) with something completely different.
Authors endlessly debate among themselves the pros and cons of using an alias. Pros include the reputation protection mentioned above and the freedom to explore new genres or topics without being burdened by expectations. Cons include not being able to market to an established fanbase to help generate sales and reviews and the dilemma of book signings: does the author sell the pen-named book alongside their established titles but use two different autographs, and if they do this, what was the point of creating the secret identity? Or do they only appear as their secret alter-ego and sell and sign just that book and forego opportunities to sell more popular titles?
What authors seldom do, though, is ask readers what they think of pen names. After all, we create these alter egos mostly because we’re worried about your reaction, Dear Reader, to something we’ve written that is far outside the bounds of our usual genres and themes. But do you even care? Are you willing to take a chance on a beyond-the-norm book written by an author whose other work you liked? Or do you prefer to read books in one specific genre, such that you won’t hold it against me that I’ve written a funny, sexy sci-fi novel but you’re waiting for me to write another historical fiction or mystery/thriller?
I’d love to get your thoughts about this. Please contact me to let me know.
Emily Simerly
February 2, 2023 at 6:21 pm (2 years ago)I have thought about writing romance novels under the pen Stella Royal, after my mother Stella and my father Roy. I have no information that I would be good at romance novels except for a friend who told me I had missed my calling after she read a dream sequence I wrote about the seduction rape of a mental patient by a female staff member.
George Weinstein
February 2, 2023 at 7:05 pm (2 years ago)Thank you, Emily! The whole pen name calculus is a tough one.
Victoria Wilcox
February 2, 2023 at 11:11 pm (2 years ago)People asked me, when I began publishing, what pen name I would use, assuming as readers do that all writers use pen names. But a pen name was impossible for me because my books were written based on my place as a recognized authority on the topic. They would have sold much less if NOT written under my own name. Hoping my history and historical fiction audience will follow me into an upcoming foray into something lighter but still laced with historical elements. But seems like Stephen King has done fine under his own name in writing both “The Shining” and “Shawshank Redemption” –very different kinds of stories. Unless readers are just devoted to a particular genre, they seem willing to follow an author into other places.
George Weinstein
February 3, 2023 at 1:36 am (2 years ago)Thank you, Victoria! I appreciate your comments.
Patrick Scullin
February 3, 2023 at 9:44 pm (2 years ago)George (if that is your real name), I don’t think you should use a pen name. You are a marvelous writer in whatever genre you choose, and your work is varied. Roll with it. If someone is offended, they can always put it down or ask for a refund.
George Weinstein
February 3, 2023 at 10:42 pm (2 years ago)Thank you very much, Patrick! I’m leaning toward publishing it under “GJ Weinstein” so I can still do signings with it but it won’t be associated with my other books on Amazon lest I offend the blue-hairs who like the Hardscrabble series…
Sarah Hinkemeyer
February 4, 2023 at 8:35 pm (2 years ago)I can certainly see the dilemma in choosing to write under a pen name or not. Certainly there are many points to consider as you brought up. You do write in a wide array of genres and I have read them all and enjoyed each one (even the ones not in my favorite categories). Speaking as a reader, if I find an author that I really enjoy their writing style, I will often seek out there other works and try what they’ve written even if it’s not my normal genre base. Sometimes the genre is just really not my cup of tea, but probably more often than not I have actually enjoyed the other books outside of my comfort zone. Does it make me want to make that new genre my top pick? No. But it’s still enjoyable to get to read something by a favorite author even if it isn’t their norm or mine. I’ve learned as a reader sometimes it’s worth branching outside of your comfort genre zone and trying something else. It makes you grow. Which I’m sure is true for a writer too to write outside of their comfort zone and typical genre choices. Sometimes a breath of fresh air is good for both parties. Ultimately, I’m willing to take a chance in a different type of book, particularly if I already like that author’s writing style from other works.
George Weinstein
February 5, 2023 at 1:19 am (2 years ago)Thank you very much, Sarah! Based on your encouragement and messages from others, I’m now leaning toward publishing Offlining under “GJ Weinstein” so I can still do signings with it along with my previous books, but it won’t be associated with them on Amazon lest I offend the anonymous readers who like my mainstream work. I very much appreciate your thoughtful reply!