To Pen Name or Not to Pen Name

That is the aggravating question...

This week, I announced the upcoming release of my steamy romance book, Masquerade Mistake, to my newsletter list, along with a cover reveal. 

Did that word “steamy” make you pause? Because my subscription numbers dropped as soon I used it. 

Nevermind that this book is not any more steamy than my past two books. However, I am choosing to now use that word to market to an audience that is looking for romance with intimate scenes. 

That said, I totally get that “steamy romance” is not everyone’s cup of tea. If one of my favorite romance authors decided they were now going to write horror, I’d leave the list, too.

However, the sudden drop in subscribers was a blow to my ego, and I suffered a little bit of imposter syndrome because of it. When I sought advice in one of my writing groups on Facebook, the feedback was supportive, with some ideas on how to proceed. 

One was to segment out my mailing list by only sending to those interested in reading romance.

Great! I can do that! (If that’s you, here it is: mailchi.mp/crissilangwell/romancereads)

But the majority of those with advice told me something I did NOT want to hear. 

Get a pen name. 

“When you write different heat levels, you really need a pen name,” one commenter shared. “I know that's not what you asked for, but when readers are looking for one thing from you, but something completely different comes up, it's confusing. Many will just walk away because of it.”

Thing is, I don’t want a pen name. All my books are under MY REAL NAME. And while I’ve definitely made some missteps in my early author journey, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, and I love that all my books are under my name. 

Not only that, but what about my website? My social media? Every single thing I’ve built under my name? If I start using a pen name for romance, would I need to set all these things up for that name, too?

Just the thought makes my head spin.

So now, here I am, a mere 5 weeks away from releasing my next book, and completely overwhelmed by the idea of using a different name for my romance books.  

Going with a pen name is not out of the question. It’s definitely not too late. And it’s something I should consider if I don’t want to confuse readers who came to me for one of my past Young Adult novels and is then shocked by the sudden appearance of a 🍆. 

And maybe a pen name would help me step away from past missteps and move forward in the direction I want to go. 

On the other hand, I have seen a few authors successfully stick with one name, and are just very clear on what the book is. 

And honestly, the idea of starting over with a new name makes me want to quit altogether (but, let’s be real, I’m always on the verge of quitting). 

What are your thoughts?

(Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments. If you voted yes, I’m taking name suggestions!)

I don’t just write rambling blog posts, I also write novels. Find them all here.