In the wonderful world of literature, having a pseudonym is not a brand-new thing. Most authors use an alias in order to protect themselves and maintain their anonymities. Other terms used for pseudonym is pen name, which is really common in the literary world because there are several authors who used or are using fictitious names. The only downside of using a pseudonym is that it will become your trademark when your book hits its breakthrough. So, instead of people knowing your real name — most of them, especially those newbie bookworms, will recognize your pen name instead.
Authors from the past literary periods used pen names. Some of them used these fictitious names to gain power by projecting masculinity during their time, like Charlotte Bronte, while others make use of pen names to avoid oversaturating the market. Perhaps you want to know some remarkable pseudonyms of prolific authors. Hence, listed below are the pen names that you should know!
J.D. Robb
You probably have seen books that are authored by J.D. Robb in your favorite bookstore or somewhere online. Then, you must know that J.D. Robb is just one of the pen names by Eleanor Marie Robertson, who is also referred as Nora Roberts, Jill March, and Sarah Hardesty. This particular pen name came into view after her new publisher suggested for her to write under a new name so that they can keep up with her exceptional background, and be able to produce several of her books every year.
The initials J.D. mean Jason and Dan, who are her beloved sons. With her new pen name, she can start writing her long-desired romantic suspense novels. The first book was, in fact, published in 1995. Under this new name, she has written a series of futuristic scifi police crime drama novels that are included in the In Death series. The entire series is composed of 19 books, which the last book turned out to be her first bestselling book in 2004.
George Orwell
Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Homage to Catalonia, The Road to Wigan Pier, and more are some of the best classic novels. But, do you believe that there is no such author whose real name is George Orwell during that literary period? The brilliant mind behind these novels and who wrote under the name George Orwell is Eric Arthur Blair. He is an author, journalist, literary critic, and essayist. The common topics in his writings are democratic socialism, anti-fascism, and more while the usual genres of his works are satire, science fiction, and etc.
According to an article in The New York Times by Roger Jellinek titled How Eric Blair became George Orwell, Eric Blair felt the urge to use a pen name upon the publication of his book Down and Out in Paris and London in 1933. Blair was sure that his novel will become a complete failure, and he doesn’t want his real name to be stained by it. However, it turned out to be a great book that was being read by many. Blair kept the pen name and used it on his following books.
Richard Bachman
Have you seen the picture of the author Richard Bachman? That man in the photo wasn’t the real Richard Bachman, because it was the insurance agent of Stephen King’s literary agent. There is no Richard Bachman in literary world, only Stephen King. The great horror fiction author wrote under that name in order to publish more books in a span of one year but not losing the interest of the readers.
On the perspectives of the publishers, producing more than one book per year can cause the loss of enthusiasm and interest in an author’s reader base. Stephen King wrote in an introduction to The Bachman Books that writing under the Bachman pen name is also a trial in making sense of his literary journey and an attempt to answer the question if his accomplishments are because of his luck or talent.
B. Steve Ross
The nonfiction book titled Alternate Reality: The Mostly True Story of How I Become a Sociopath or a Comical Look at my Messed Up Life is authored by B. Steve Ross. However, Ross is not really the real name of the author, because it is just a pseudonym of Glenn Davis. The author wants readers to know that not all sociopaths are bad individuals. There are instances that they experienced in during some point in their lives, especially childhood, which traumatized them and made them who they are.
According to the author, “The end result of my upbringing was me becoming a sociopath.” Furthermore, he still achieves a lot in life despite the hardships that he’d been through. His severe dyslexia and impediment didn’t stop him from becoming a Master Electrician. He also became a Nuclear Power Electrician for 8 years in the US Navy. Moreover, Davis is married to the same woman that he vowed at the altar for more than 30 years now with two amazing kids. He also becomes one of the foundations of youth programs in their community.
The Damsel’s Files 