Five Popular Authors Who used Pen Names and Why.

There are many reasons why people choose to adopt pen names and most are either to separate private lives of they and their families from their works or just for the fun of being mysterious. See some examples below that you may or may not be familiar with.

Daniel Handler.

Pen Name: Lemony Snicket.

This is just short of evil genius; Daniel Handler puts himself inside one of his stories in the Series of Unfortunate Events that he wrote with his pen name, creating his real self with an invented self doing the narration. His reason is not explicit but being mischievous is valid reason.

Nora Roberts.

Pen Name: J.D. Robb.

After her agent and publisher discouraged her from writing romantic suspense thrillers and instead focusing on what she was known best for, Nora Roberts found an easy way around the problem by switching names when she switched genres and she chose the initials J and D to reference are boys, Jason and Dan.

Eric Blair.

Pen Name: George Orwell.

Yes. The author is fictional like his works. He chose the name to save his family from the reprisals he knew his works would cause, Animal Farm nearly tore people apart with its surgical brilliance and insight into politics but with 1984, it was almost as if everyone could hear a Big Brother wherever there is a government.

Erika Leonard.

Pen Name: E.L. James.

Given her shy disposition in real life she started out writing online with a pseudonym of Snowqueens Icedragon but with the publishing of Fifty Shade of Grey she chose her initials alone and added James to it to save her from the limelight but then …

David John Moore Cornwell.

Pen Name: John le Carre.

No, he didn’t choose the pen name because his real name seemed like a sentence starting a new book. He wrote spy novels and he was a spy. Publishing his first book on espionage while serving in Germany for MI6 took too much risk and endorsing his real name would have put him and others in jeopardy so he changed his name and the MI6 officers would not have allowed the book progress from being a manuscript had he not done it.

Which other authors do you know that used pen names and are still using? Share.

Source: Bookstr