Today, many authors keep their surnames to identify their works. However, back in the day, most writers not only chose, but felt it a necessity to write under a pen name for various different reasons.
Famous female writers like The Brontë sisters and even J.K. Rowling used nom de plumes to conceal their gender and establish themselves as serious authors amongst a field full of men. Other famous authors simply wanted to remain anonymous or differentiate from their upbringings. Whatever the reason, pen names remained a constant in the literary world.
If you want to use one, but don’t know where to start, try this nifty pen name generator created by Invaluable to help! It develops a unique name based on the genre you choose.
Plus, check out the infographic below which highlights some of the most famous authors’ pen names and why they chose them. It might help gather inspiration!
by Emma Welsh
Source for image: Invaluable
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