Based on all of the input I got in response to Monday’s post and my gut feeling, I have decided to better focus on my brand by creatng a pseudonym for my fiction writing.
But, picking another name is tough. I found a nice resource from an agent (”What’s in a Pseudonym?“), but I’m hoping for a little more crowdsourcing help.
If you currently work undera pseudonym, how did you choose it? Did you keep your first name the same to avoid confusion? Did you pick a literary name that has special meaning for you, or did you use a family name? (You don’t have to out yourself by giving your legal name and pseudonym. General guidelines and ideas are plenty.)
If you have only dreamed of pseudonyms, what types of names resonate with you?
For me, the number one determining factor was: Is the domain name available? (There were so, so many names I wanted that had already been snatched up by a realtor.)
From there, I pretty much spent three full days doing nothing else.
My agent suggested I keep my first name, so all I had to do was find a last one.
I tried a few family names, but everything had already been taken as far as domain names go. I called friends for suggestions. I practiced signing the different names. I looked up other romance novelists of the same last name. I tried to factor in different ways it would get pronounced. And finally, finally, I picked one.
And you know, the longer I have the name now, the happier I am with it. It fits, and I often give my pseudonym a different personality. She’s pretty awesome.