when to tell your agent your pen name

...it kind of reminds me of Lauren Myracle, to be honest.

LOL! I'll take that into consideration XD

In that case, my second choice is always SRASM (actually my initials) but I doubt the agents and or publishers would be delighted with that....

Well anyways. My main question. Any answers out there?

I like the name Raylin (original and pretty) and I like the name Silver. I think that Silver sounds more like a first name so the whole thing together sounds a bit odd. (There's an author for Wiccan/Pagan books with the name Silver Ravenwolf and the name reminded me of that).

Thanks!! Anyways.....should I use that in my query, and reveal my true identity later on, or vice versa?

I agree with you KarenChii....if I really had to change it I'd change the Silver....

I love the name Raylin and one of my friend's last name is silver.
Not too unrealistic, and a pretty name :D
go for it.

thanks!!

SO SHOULD I USE THAT ON MY QUERY OR MY REAL NAME?

I'm inexperienced but I say that you should use your real name first so you don't confuse them or get ahead of yourself.

Use your real name. You can let them know what pen name you choose once the book is sold.

Given that your agent will be the one writing you checks, you'd be wise to include your real name from the get-go. It'll save you aggravation.

kay, thanks!

I always put my penname in my name/address block of the header of my cover letter. Ex:

Real Name
w/a Shayla Kersten
Address...

Then my signature block is:

Real Name
w/a Shayla Kersten

The header of the story is the title and Shayla Kersten.

You might want to be up front with the agent/editor. Sometimes there are objections to a penname. Best to know upfront before you spend money on domains, etc.

Shayla

I grew up with a girl whose last name was Silver, although it was probably shortened from something else at Ellis Island. So I think of it as a last name. Raylin seems ungendered; could be either male or female. But until your sell a manuscript, it's all pie in the sky.

And, yes, always use your real name in all communications with an agent or an editor. You don't need to put a pen name on anything other than the manuscript, and then only on the title page, not on the running heads.

Once you are a published author, feel free to have your author website only show your pen name, and have business cards made up with it alone for handing out to fans. Again, pie in the sky.

An acquaintance has said that you should never use a pseudonym if you want to get famous. He's got a point, but some kinds of fiction seem to call for pen names whereas others don't. In his case, he uses his scientific credentials to bolster his science fiction writing. But women writing erotica often use pen names so they won't get fired from their day jobs.

Just wondering--why? There are some famous people with pseudonyms...right?

Mark Twain, Lemony Snicket...Real names are Samuel Langhorne Clemens and Daniel Handler, respectively.

Anyway, I LOVE your pen name, Vespers. It is so pretty. I think it will work.
I mean really, how realistic is Lemony Snicket?!

But I do agree, go with your real name first. When in doubt, be truthful. You can't get in trouble for the truth.

syd

Thanks guys! So I'll go with my real name. I stil don't really see the reason behind the not using a pseudonym if you're after fame--there are famous writers with pseudonyms.

I don't really understand the sentiment either; fame doesn't have anything to do with it. Heck, look at Robert Jordan!

However, unless there is a genuine reason to have one, it's probably best to use your own name... to me, pen names are kinda silly unless you have a really good reason, such as you share a name with an infamous celebrity and don't want the confusion.

Or if you have a really awful name. Or a silly sounding, or fake sounding name. Or a name that is hard to pronounce or spell.... lol

Solid answer:

Name in Cover Letter and Queries, your real name. The name where you put Title, return Author, your pen name. The space where you put your info at the top, your real name. Standard formatting. You should own a copy of Writer's Market. It describes this basic stuff each year. ^_^ It's simple, they put one out in December. Tada! Gift for every year. Pick your target to give it to you.

Didn't Stephen King start out as Richard Bachman?

What about those of us who don't want to be known as someone they aren't but being published might interfere with school?

I've never really liked my real name, so I know I would use a pen name. My real name is just too bland and average, and wouldn't be easily remembered. My pen name, Riona Dawn, however, has a nice ring to it, so if people talk about it, you'd go "Oh yeah, that author's cool!" as opposed to "Which John Smith is that? Oh, hey, look, there are 20 people in the phone book with that name!" (i.e. My name isn't actually John Smith. Just using that as an example of a really common name)

Moral of the story: Pen names make people with average names feel special.

Tips for pennames:

1. When picking your pen name. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, pick a serious pen name. Don't go for florid. Don't go for fancy. Go for something that makes you seem serious as a writer.

2. Remember that no matter what pen name you choose, everyone will know what your "real" name is. So don't think that a pen name can cover your given name up.

3. Have a damned good reason for using a pen name. Remember that agents and publishers can reject pen names and come up with pen names for you. They might even revert to your actual name. Not liking your original name isn't enough. They think in marketing and strategies, not in people's fancies. So have a really good reason for a pen name.

I wouldn't worry about that. Worry about being published in the first place. I started writing seriously when I was 13, but I am still not published in my late 20's. If you get published, it shouldn't really matter. The publisher will know your age and be able to plan events for you on weekends. It's usually not that huge. They won't send you to hither and yond when you have school.

Though I agree that "I just don't like my name" isn't a good reason, there are sometimes good reasons for disliking your name.

Taking my example again, my real name is very average and common, especially in my home town. I imagine that would be really bad for marketing, as the name would be easily forgotten.

But, as you've said, it seems to be up to the publishers, so... *shrugs*

Stephen King wrote as Richard Bachman after he was famous because he thought people were only buying his books because of his name. He wanted to prove to himself that was not the case.

I had a pen name made up but I did some research and there is a guy who wrote a freaking book about symbiosis with the name I wanted to use. I don't think my real name sounds very good and I don't think it would look good on a book.

I was going to use Robert James and I may still as the other Robert James writes about animals and is not in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre.

I've written my novel in the first person. I'm a woman, but the character whose POV it's written from is a male. When I send it to an agent or publisher, I don't want them to be biased by the fact that I'm writing from the POV of the opposite gender, so I don't really want to include my real name at first. What should I do?

1. They are going to know you are a woman. You can't hide it. You have to show up to sign the contract.
2. Frankly, the publisher and the agent won't care if you wrote from the male perspective or not until you are up to be published.
3. The Publisher is likely to work with you on your pen name. They might even give it to you. I've even heard where the publisher tells the author later they are doing so. Really--don't sweat it. Finish the manuscript. Edit it. Edit it. Edit it. (Don't forget to give to other writers) Then send it out. These small details the agent and publisher will walk you through. Do not pass go, do not do these out of order. And I know some of you are guilty of this already. Sweating publishing when you haven't even finished the book is a bad idea... make your concerns go in order.

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Telling someone you're a writer is like telling them you're an obsessive compulsive bipolar schizophrenic that goes to AA meetings once a week.

Simple. Real name.
If you want to be taken seriously that is.

Richard Bachman was a pseudonym he took on later on more or less so people didn't see him as glutting the market, and so he could see if his success was based more on luck or talent. But Lewis Carroll is a pseudonym, and how many people with a literary bone in their body can claim they've never heard of Mark Twain or Lewis Carroll?

That's the only real reason I've had for considering a penname, it's only one letter off from a very famous actor. Which sucks, because I like my name.