Tips and Tricks for Picking the Best Pen Name

Are you using a pen name, or have you thought about writing under a pen name?
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I personally use a pen name. Jennifer is my real first name, but Alden is not my last name.

There are a lot of reasons someone would want to use a pen name. For me, anonymity was not a real concern. I decided to use a pen name because in my opinion my real last name is a little too rigid and abrupt for a fantasy author. I thought Alden sounded more lyrical and whimsical. Alden is also a maiden name in my family that got lost through the generations, so I decided to bring it back to life.
 
Here are my top tips for choosing a pen name:

1. Make it fit. Choose a name that fits your genre. For example, Lemony Snicket is Daniel Handler’s pen name. I think we can all agree that Lemony Snicket is a fabulous name for the author of children's books
2. Keep it easy. Be kind to your readers. You want your pen name to be easy to pronounce, remember, and spell. Make it as easy as possible for your potential readers to remember your name and search it online (and so they can tell all their friends how much they loved your books)
3. Be original. After you choose your name, do a quick online search of it. Make sure there aren't any famous people with your name. Some key things I looked for were other fantasy authors, controversial people (like murderers), or major celebrities

 
Final thoughts: I picked my pen name early on in the process so my email, Twitter, website address, and Facebook accounts are all under the same name. As an author, your name is your brand. It's important to pick your pen name, if you're using one, and keep it consistent throughout your marketing and branding.
 
If you're interested in more information about picking your best pen name, check out these links:

• Pen name generators can be great inspiration.
  • Click here for a quick generator that also has some examples of famous author’s pen names
  • Click here for a generator that uses some fun personal details as inspiration
• JaneFriedman.com has a good article on the topic: Click here   

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