tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post583041565462621635..comments2024-01-05T05:46:30.140-08:00Comments on Angie's Desk: PseudonymsAngiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-20805604502076080872012-07-05T22:06:58.935-07:002012-07-05T22:06:58.935-07:00Suzan -- I remember that. [nod] I think at that ...Suzan -- I remember that. [nod] I think at that point in time, MZB was particularly ranting about women who published SF/F under male pseuds, or neutral initials. Even now, SF is considered a "boys'" genre, and in the days of James Tiptree Jr. and CL Moore and Andre Norton, the female writers were sort of perpetuating that notion. She had a good point, at that time in history and in the context of that particular issue. It's like cheering now when GLBT people come out of the closet -- and realistic, positive portrayals of GLBT people in fiction and media -- because only by normalizing themselves in all areas of society will they find eventual acceptance. MZB wanted to normalize women who wrote SF and fantasy. Or at least, that's the impression I got from her, over a number of years.<br /><br />I agree, though, that applying her advice to <i>all</i> contexts and situations in the writing and publishing business isn't necessarily a good idea. [wry smile]<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-28945044573932408412012-07-05T22:00:45.954-07:002012-07-05T22:00:45.954-07:00Sometimes, those writers with long-term careers do...Sometimes, those writers with long-term careers don't quite get the concept of branding. Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote a scathing essay on using your own name instead of hiding in one of her really early Sword & Sorceress calls for submission. I admire MZB and really took what she said to heart. Twenty years later, I'm beginning to how bad some of that advice I sucked in as a newbie was not the smartest business advice.Suzan Hardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600258874634909988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-35384059447785907222012-07-04T16:10:28.464-07:002012-07-04T16:10:28.464-07:00Sam -- exactly! Expectations are important, and e...Sam -- exactly! Expectations are important, and even if you like both genres, expecting one and getting the other can jolt you in a way that's not at all pleasant. I wrote about <a href="http://angiesdesk.blogspot.com/2009/03/expectations.html" rel="nofollow">expectations</a> a few years ago, and talked about how expecting A but being sold B can cause a negative reaction, even if the buyer usually likes B. That's definitely an issue here, and one which sorting your genres or subgenres by pseudonym can fix. If you're willing to do it and don't see it as some kind of selling out. :/<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-70748278134115501782012-07-04T15:14:34.203-07:002012-07-04T15:14:34.203-07:00Rune -- sorry, had to dig your comment out of the ...Rune -- sorry, had to dig your comment out of the spam bucket. :/<br /><br />Not surprised about your friend, unfortunately. There are still way too many people in our culture who think sex = filth.<br /><br />My situation was similar to yours; I probably would've published my m/m romance and erotica under my own name, since I hadn't thought a lot about it at that point, but my husband had a government job before he retired, and there was a small but non-zero chance that he could have a hard time at work if folks there found out what I was publishing. A pseud solved that problem nicely. At this point, if I ever write het again, I'll probably use a separate pseud for that too, because as you said, there's some overlap between the two, but not all that much.<br /><br />Dean's a great example of how to make this work, and Kris as well. If I can ever get my butt in front of the keyboard as many hours as they do, I might be able to keep four or more pseuds alive and healthy at the same time too. [wry smile] I think that's another problem people have with it, though; you really <i>do</i> have to produce a certain amount of product per year per pseud to keep the readers aware of it, and a one-book-per-year writer can't do that, or even come close. This is a case of myths heterodyning off one another.<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-55824844854526668922012-07-03T23:07:51.098-07:002012-07-03T23:07:51.098-07:00I agree. I write, and I read a wide variety of ge...I agree. I write, and I read a wide variety of genres, but I *still* go to my favorite authors with expectations based on their previous works. Even though I understand it from the other side!<br /><br />If I love an author I won't even read the back copy (spoilers!), so I generally don't have advance warning that they've switched genres on me. The trouble is: you need to REALLY impress in the new genre to make me forget what I was looking for in the first place.Sam Millshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12069749673374661798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-50511495239660399792012-07-03T14:44:43.586-07:002012-07-03T14:44:43.586-07:00I have one friend who I'm very sure burned her...I have one friend who I'm very sure burned her name when she published m/m erotica under the same name as her fantasy and paranormal fiction. <br /><br />Another friend (also a published writer) just sold a novel to her favorite publishing house because her agent convinced her to use a pseudonym. And she'd submitted to them before. <br /><br />I knew from the beginning that I wanted to keep my m/m erotic romances separated from my mainstream fantasy writing. Not to mention that I live in a very conservative region and my day-job is in a more or less conservative field. I'll get away with fantasy/paranormal, but erotic m/m would lead to questions and debates I would prefer to avoid. <br /><br />If I ever decide to do something with the m/f romance ideas I have I might publish them under yet another pseudonym, because a lot of m/m-reader wouldn't be interested in m/f. And why annoy my readers. <br /><br />And I’m totally behind the marketing aspect. Dean Wesley Smith has also written about it and from a purely business-side it totally make sense. It's basically brand-names. One product is sold under one brand-name and the other product is sold under another brand-name to avoid confusion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-8899388507066213962012-07-03T01:47:28.504-07:002012-07-03T01:47:28.504-07:00Charles -- that's exactly it, that unless your...Charles -- that's exactly it, that unless your pseud needs to be a state secret (like if you're writing erotica under one name and children's books under another) you can be perfectly open about the fact that both (or however many) names are all <i>you.</i> It's the differentiation that gives your fans the ability to easily see which of your books they're likely to enjoy. And people who aren't already pretty serious fans won't bother going to your web site to find out who else you might be.<br /><br />I think you'll do fine with this. I just wanted to thwap some of the commenters with a dead salmon :/ and chose the path of diplomacy by taking it back here. [wry smile]<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847902007209931042.post-70930224086381184382012-07-02T22:14:13.096-07:002012-07-02T22:14:13.096-07:00When I first started I really really wanted to see...When I first started I really really wanted to see my name in print. Now not so much. For those who know me, like the people who visit my blog, I can always make it clear that a pseudonym book is by me. that way I can have the best of both worlds. At least that would be my hope.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com