Writing under a pen name

One of the many decisions to make when planning on publishing is what name to publish under. Should I use my own name or should I adopt a pen name?
For some, the answer is pretty straightforward. For others, there is more to consider.

There are a number of reasons one may choose to publish under a pen name, or pseudonym.
Going by an alias gives you a certain amount of anonymity and can protect your personal identity. This is great if you value privacy and/or if your personal or professional identity does not align with the author brand you are aiming to establish.
Choosing your author name may give you more opportunity, especially if your legal name is hard to spell, very common, or similar to that of a well known individual, like another author or a musician.
Some established authors will opt to publish new work under a pen name if they are aiming to appeal to a different age group or publish in a different genre. Agatha Christie is a prime example of this, publishing her erotic romance novels under the pen name Mary Westmacott.

For myself, my reasons are a mixture of all of the above. My legal name is often misspelled and mispronounced, I feel it’s best to keep my creative and corporate selves separate, and my previously published works are aimed at an entirely different audience and age group. I started writing again after a long hiatus due to my kids. My sons are my muses, which is the main reason I chose to adopt a pen name – for their privacy, even more so than my own.

Throughout history many authors have chosen to take on a non de plum for one reason or another – or several. Due to gender biases many female authors chose to adopt male, or gender neutral, pen names to be taken more seriously, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) among them.
On the other hand, when it comes to the Romance genre, many men have adopted female sounding names in order to “fit in” to the genre and better appeal to their audience.
Authors have been known to publish under a name that better fits their genre. Some authors have even chosen an alias simply because they don’t like their given name.

If choosing to publish under a pen name, there are a few ways you can go about it. It is generally recommended to go with something short, memorable, and easy to spell. Some choose to go by initials rather than picking a whole new first name. Others pick a full author name that fits their genre. Gender neutral first names leave more doors open, and picking a last name with the same initial as an established author means your books will be shelved in close proximity and will be more likely to be noticed.

But there are no rules when it comes to picking a pen name. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal choice and the name an author chooses to publish under is ultimately their decision.