Pen name vs real name
If you have spelling or grammar questions, please post them in the International Grammar section.
If you want feedback for poetry or short stories you have written, please post the poem or short story in either the Creative Original Works: Short Stories section or the Creative Original Works: Poetry section.
If you have a book that you want reviewed, click here to submit your book for review.
- Diving doc
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 06 Dec 2016, 05:26
- Bookshelf Size: 13
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-diving-doc.html
- Latest Review: "The Banned Book about Love" by Scott Hughes
Pen name vs real name
I have a few reasons for not wanting to share all my writing with the 500 odd acquaintances I have on Facebook.
Some of what I write is based on my life, but altered in a fairly disturbed, twisted way. I'm not sure I want someone I know personally reading it, and wondering if they can trust me anymore.
I currently work in diving, which is a happy, smiley type of activity. Trying to mesh a profile that includes that, and psychological thriller writer seems just plain crazy.
The big question is, how to gain a following without using your real life followers to start?
- DATo
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 5796
- Joined: 31 Dec 2011, 07:54
- Bookshelf Size: 0
― Steven Wright
- Randomgold
- Posts: 365
- Joined: 29 Nov 2016, 11:31
- Bookshelf Size: 22
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-randomgold.html
- Latest Review: "A Kingdom Forgotten" by Charles W. McDonald Jr.
- Diving doc
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 06 Dec 2016, 05:26
- Bookshelf Size: 13
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-diving-doc.html
- Latest Review: "The Banned Book about Love" by Scott Hughes
-
- Posts: 15
- Joined: 22 Nov 2016, 19:02
- Bookshelf Size: 3
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lesa.html
If you don't want anyone who knows you knowing about your books, then you'd have to start from scratch. Not easy, I know. You'd need to start new social media pages in that name- a facebook author page, twitter name, pinterest, goodreads, amazon, Instagram, and any other social media sites you frequent. One good thing is you can choose a name that will be tops in a google search. My real name is so unique I know have at least the first three google pages pretty much to myself. I didn't check beyond that, but that may be a great perk for you. I wish you well, whichever way you decide to go.
- Diving doc
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 06 Dec 2016, 05:26
- Bookshelf Size: 13
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-diving-doc.html
- Latest Review: "The Banned Book about Love" by Scott Hughes
I wonder if maybe it's something I just need to get past, I mean, nobody thinks Stephen King is about to go out and create a massacre right?
- KS Crooks
- Posts: 112
- Joined: 11 Nov 2014, 12:33
- Favorite Book: Voyage of the Dawntreader
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Jasmine M Wardiya
- Posts: 66
- Joined: 25 Oct 2016, 04:23
- Currently Reading: Darkglass Mountain #2 - The Twisted Citadel
- Bookshelf Size: 238
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jasmine-m-wardiya.html
- Latest Review: "A Kingdom Forgotten" by Charles W. McDonald Jr.
As for developing a reader base, I use the same penname across platforms that relate to my fictional writing in some way - here, scribophile, fictionpress, my blog and twitter accounts, goodreads etc. So I do book reviews under the same name, napo etc. And both book reviews and napo help get new followers for my blog, so when I finally get around to publishing something, there'll be a (albeit small) audience there. I guess networking's the same regardless of what sort of name you use. It's just the starting point that differs.
- JessieMarie84
- Posts: 33
- Joined: 14 Dec 2016, 21:34
- Currently Reading: Tess of the D'Urbervilles
- Bookshelf Size: 172
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jessiemarie84.html
- Latest Review: "Nightlord: Sunset" by Garon Whited
- Monet_va
- Posts: 266
- Joined: 10 Mar 2019, 03:26
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 49
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-monet-va.html
- Latest Review: Cowboys Don't Fly by John Steed
- clint_csperry-org
- Posts: 126
- Joined: 06 Mar 2019, 16:02
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 24
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-clint-csperry-org.html
- Latest Review: Executive Hoodlum by John Costello
- Inkroverts
- Posts: 298
- Joined: 15 Jul 2019, 00:38
- Currently Reading: The Book Thief
- Bookshelf Size: 67
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-inkroverts.html
- Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman