Okay, in the seven years that I worked on this project, never did I seriously consider any other author name than my own. So, why then, in the last phases of the writing, was I going around asking people to help me find a good pen name?

It started when my father asked what I will put as my author name. I replied… and he shook his head. “No, it’s not a good name.”

“What do you mean it’s not a good name? It’s my name!”

“It’s not a good name.”

“YOU gave me this name!”

“It’s old fashioned. Start thinking about a pen name, something that can entice your readers.”

I start doing my research. My mind gets blown when I learn that J.K. Rowling was a pen name. Stan Lee was a pen name too, and I’m on the floor frothing at the mouth. I look further, learn that it’s fairly common practise and for a multitude of reasons.

Among those reasons, yep, marketability. You want something that will appeal to the age group, or whatever demographic you are aiming to sell to. You’re advised to set your ego aside (so I had to find a large enough container pretty quickly), and accept that an alias more catchy, mysterious, romantic, fantastical, etc, will simply do better than your own name.

A friends asks me as I write this: “A ‘container’? Was that enough, really?”

A bit of a bummer, but there was a little fun to searching for a new name. Meanwhile, other advantages came to light, particularly the bit of privacy you get from a pen name. Dreaming of fame and glory is nice and all, but it’s easy to underestimate the dark side of life under the spotlight. I realized I wasn’t overly keen on making it easy to be pointed out by my real name. So, kind of like my childhood idols, I adorned a mask and alias. There’s a fun to it, I have to admit.

I’d have to thank Willow Shire and Dave Chesson for their very nice explanations that helped me make my decision. Have a look at their work if you’re interested in learning more about the process and thinking behind pen names!