Choose a Pen Name That Sells

And not a pen name you “want“.

A writer looking at baby names for their future pseudonym (The Thinker by Auguste Rodin, 1904, Image by CrisNYCa via Wikimedia Commons)

Good pen names help good writers

Mark Twain, Ann Rice, Françoise Sagan, George Orwell, Irwin Shaw. Thousands of writers use pseudonyms, but how many become famous?

Although the concept seems old-fashioned, good pen names help good writers sell.

Whenever I’d tell someone I write under a pen name, my heart started pounding like in a marathon. After some time, I grew to it. Not only did I get used to saying it out loud, but my pseudonym now has a life of its own. It had an effect on how my writing was perceived. So I got curious: what makes a good pseudonym? This is what I found out.

How to choose a selling pen name

1. Remember, you are not a book character.

A good pseudonym doesn’t sound like a pseudonym. It doesn’t have to be ultra-smart or with 9 layers of meaning behind it. Reserve names like al’Lan Mandragoran, Rose Thorn, Liberatore Toca, Indigo Woods, or Don Destiny for book characters. When it comes to pseudonyms, simplicity and style are your best friends—exotic names are easy to remember, but don’t overdo it. Unless you’re writing an adult fantasy series.