All of us know that J.K. Rowling wrote a couple of books under the pen name Robert Galbraith to live a regular author's life, filled with low sales, a relaxed environment and rest. Unfortunately for her, it didn't work out and she was the subject of the media cameras and the adrenaline-filled literary bloggers who fell off their chairs hearing the news (high five if this happened to you too).
But, what's in a name? Can a two-worded phrase that takes up a minuscule amount of a page make such an impact? The thing's got power, you can't deny.
In the case of J.K. Rowling, it turns out that 'J.K. Rowling' isn't her exact real name either. That's got another story behind it. You see, Joanne Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, was afraid her books wouldn't sell that much if the people thought she was a woman. So, she added Katherine as her middle name, turning it to 'J.K. Rowling'.
I myself thought J.K. Rowling was a man till the age of ten. Although it does seem sad that she had to hide her gender while publishing, she was being realistic nonetheless, but that's another story.
Well, it's not just her, lot's of other authors and poets have used numerous pen names, looks like it had been a trend even a thousand years ago. It's curious that the author Ed McBain used no more than FIVE Noms de Plumes - Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Richard Marsten and Evan Hunter. Keeping all these a secret is a bigger achievement than writing twenty books.
Some like William Makepeace Thackeray do use them as a joke. George Savage Fitz-Boodle? Michael Angelo Titmarsh? THÉOPHILE WAGSTAFF? Seriously, dude.
It is interesting indeed to find out that Benjamin Franklin didn't only create a pen name, he mapped out whole personalities of that particular name. His first pseudonym, Silence Dogood, was a widowed woman much older than him. The pen name Polly Baker was his alter-ego, used to show that women were discriminated against by the law (she had a much, much more exquisite tale behind her, but that's another story).
While some use pen names to escape a disappointed father, and some use them to evade a jail sentence, the stories behind them are fascinating. Turns out something as small as a name is VERY powerful (unless you count Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. PHEW.)
Therefore, when I sit down and think for a suitable pen name for myself, I can think nothing more serious than Jalebi Sweetsavage (people would love me, wouldn't they?) Of course, this fantasy person's got a different life history... but that's another story!
But, what's in a name? Can a two-worded phrase that takes up a minuscule amount of a page make such an impact? The thing's got power, you can't deny.
In the case of J.K. Rowling, it turns out that 'J.K. Rowling' isn't her exact real name either. That's got another story behind it. You see, Joanne Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, was afraid her books wouldn't sell that much if the people thought she was a woman. So, she added Katherine as her middle name, turning it to 'J.K. Rowling'.
I myself thought J.K. Rowling was a man till the age of ten. Although it does seem sad that she had to hide her gender while publishing, she was being realistic nonetheless, but that's another story.
Well, it's not just her, lot's of other authors and poets have used numerous pen names, looks like it had been a trend even a thousand years ago. It's curious that the author Ed McBain used no more than FIVE Noms de Plumes - Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Richard Marsten and Evan Hunter. Keeping all these a secret is a bigger achievement than writing twenty books.
Some like William Makepeace Thackeray do use them as a joke. George Savage Fitz-Boodle? Michael Angelo Titmarsh? THÉOPHILE WAGSTAFF? Seriously, dude.
It is interesting indeed to find out that Benjamin Franklin didn't only create a pen name, he mapped out whole personalities of that particular name. His first pseudonym, Silence Dogood, was a widowed woman much older than him. The pen name Polly Baker was his alter-ego, used to show that women were discriminated against by the law (she had a much, much more exquisite tale behind her, but that's another story).
While some use pen names to escape a disappointed father, and some use them to evade a jail sentence, the stories behind them are fascinating. Turns out something as small as a name is VERY powerful (unless you count Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. PHEW.)
Therefore, when I sit down and think for a suitable pen name for myself, I can think nothing more serious than Jalebi Sweetsavage (people would love me, wouldn't they?) Of course, this fantasy person's got a different life history... but that's another story!
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