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As a reader, how do you feel about pseudonyms?

Does it bother you when you find out an author isn't using his or her real name?

Well, it really doesn't matter as long as the content is good.. hell! they can use whatever name they want.. after all, Shakespeare said "What's there in a name?".. although it's an entirely different matter he wrote his name under it!

but if an author who's known for his ridiculous writing skills publishes his work under some other name, we won't be getting any warning beforehand of what we'll be enduring!

I've had to make this difficult decision, as an author, myself.

I have published paperbacks and e-books under my own name, but I also sometime wanted to appeal more to female readers than male readers, so I published some e-books on Smashwords as 'Mickey' not 'Mike', (thinking that 'Mickey' could possibly be seen as a female author, and that's an impression I wanted to give).

Is this dishonest? Or is it simply trying to be helpful to the reader - see the name, get some idea of what the book might be about. ('Mickey' writes Romantic Fiction. Isn't that obvious??)

I actually really like pseudonyms. I think that they're really cool and mysterious.
But, I do think that there needs to some reason for using a pseudonyms. Or more accurately I think when you discover that an author has used a pseudonym that you should be asking yourself why they have chosen not to use their legal name. Is it done out of fear? Does the author have some ulterior motive in using another name?

I don't understand why Rowling has used another author name for her new novels. As soon as you go to the Amazon page it tells you it's written by J.K.Rowling lol

For me Rowling's use of a pseudonym suggests that one of two things. Either she doubts her writing. Or she desires to see whether her editors have become blinded by her previous success. In either case, I find it extremely human for Rowling to be testing her readership to see if they are reading her books for her talent and insight on the world, or whether they are simply reading for the name on the cover. Sadly, with the lack of success of the book before she was attached to it by name, it appears that her readership are not fully invested her her actual writing, but in her name as a celebrity and the creator of Harry Potter.

I'm afraid I'm not impressed by these people you describe as J.K.Rowling's 'readership' - if they are so shallow that they WILL buy the book if they know it's by her, but NOT when they thought it wasn't, then they can't possibly claim to be discriminating readers - they're just swayed by the current cult of celebrity.

I agree to a certain extent about reading something just because it's J.K. Rowling, but also admit to having quite a bit of curiosity as to what she'll be writing after something like Harry Potter. It is somewhat a reality that books by her will be given an advantage -right or wrong, because of her previous success. It's not so much that I wouldn't read it if it hadn't been written by her, but that I'm just slightly more curious to see where she's going next.

Apart from that I've always kind of liked the use of pseudonyms, it adds a bit of mystery - but as with anything it can be used poorly. So it really depends on the reasons behind it, the motive.

OK, here's a test for the media.
They worked out the name that J.K.Rowling was using for her new crime novel.
So, let them guess: what is the pseudonym I'm using for my new series of crime novels on Amazon Kindle?
(I'm wondering how long this will take.)

MikeScantlebury wrote:I'm afraid I'm not impressed by these people you describe as J.K.Rowling's 'readership' - if they are so shallow that they WILL buy the book if they know it's by her, but NOT when they thought it wasn't, then they can't possibly claim to be discriminating readers - they're just swayed by the current cult of celebrity.

I suppose that's one way to look at it, but here's another: I don't really like mystery novels. I have attempted several in the past and didn't enjoy them. If at some point I were to read a summary of The Cuckoo's Calling without knowing who the author REALLY is, I wouldn't bother to read it because of the genre. On the other hand, once I found out that JK Rowling had written it, I was interested. Not because I'm interested in reading something by a celebrity, but because I've read Rowling before and know that I love her writing, so the fact that it's written by one of my favorite authors is likely to outweigh the fact that it's in a genre I don't generally enjoy.

I think it's good to use one after coming off a big series, like Harry Potter. You don't want a critic to like it just because of your name and fame.

I have faced the same question but have decided to keep my name on my work, good or bad it's mine and I'm taking credit or slack with one exception. I'm considering short erotica and I have children and grandchildren. There you have it.

Personally, I don't care if an author uses a real name or a fake one. Even in fiction, the author is self-revealing quite a lot, and it is his/her right to whatever privacy he/she desires. Additionally, a pseudonym may allow an author a fresh start after an initial failure or a fresh entry into a new genre. After all, who would read romance by Agatha Christie? When she tried out that genre, she used a pseudonym. In the case of J.K. Rowling, I assumed she was trying to reach a new audience and fell a little flat until her pseudonym was compromised. It happens more frequently than we the unpublished imagine, I expect.

Doesn't bother me in the least - my interest is in the book & the story not the author.
It can be surprising to discover that an author you have been familiar with in a particular genre and you then discover them writing under a pseudonym in a totally different genre but all I'd really feel is admiration for someoen who can be equally successful in different genres.

Not at all. Maybe it helps their creativity to publish under a pseudonym.

Skyler