Hello ,

Today we launch into a new module in the Romance Your Launch program: Your romance author identity.

Over the next eight days I'll send you four lessons, starting with ...

2.1 The power of your (pen) name

Choosing the right pen name is a bit like finding your one true love. It's critical to your long-term happiness and it often requires trying on a bunch of different versions before you find the one that fits.

This lesson is your starting point for building a romance author identity on purpose. You'll decide whether to publish under your legal name, a pen name, or multiple pen names. And you'll walk away with a working author name you're genuinely happy to see on a book cover and a website header.

Everything else in Module 2 (your bios, your brand values, your visual style) will build on this decision. So let's get it right.

My pen name story

Back when I attended in-person romance writing meetings—RWA first, then our own break-off group—we sometimes had genuinely heated debates about pen names. Some authors felt they were essential for privacy. Others felt that publishing under a made-up name was, at best, unnecessary and at worst, a little dishonest.

When I published my first work of fiction, I used my real name. It scared me, if I'm honest. But at the time I leaned more toward the "I have nothing to hide" camp.

Then I met over a hundred romance authors who were further along the path than me. And what I found was that the majority of them published under a pen name — not because they had something to hide, but because it made strategic sense for their careers.

My own decision came down to this: I was also publishing nonfiction, and had spent years as a nonfiction ghostwriter. A single name on a list of publication credits that included financial literacy curriculum, how-to titles, and steamy contemporary romance would have been... confusing, at best. So I embarked on a many-week adventure of dating several names before finally meeting the one I'd fall in love with: Danika Bloom.

You're in excellent company whichever route you choose. Here are some romance authors who publish under a name other than the one their mother gave them—all of them publicly open about it, for the record:

Bella Andre · Christina Lauren (a writing duo) · E.L. James · Elana Johnson (also Liz Isaacson and Jessie Newton) · Jayne Ann Krentz (also Jayne Castle) · Jennifer Armentrout (also J. Lynn) · Jodi Ellen Malpas · Julia Quinn · L.L. Schulz · Laura Kaye · Lorraine Heath (also Rachel Hawthorne, J.A. London, and Jade Parker) · Nora Roberts (also J.D. Robb) · Sarah MacLean · Sherrilyn Kenyon · Sophie Kinsella · Sylvia Day · Tessa Dare · Victoria Holt

Why authors use pen names

If you're planning to publish under your real name, I'm not here to change your mind. But it's worth understanding why other authors make a different choice — so your own decision is intentional rather than accidental.

Privacy.

A pen name keeps your personal identity separate from your author persona. I know both an elementary school and a high school teacher who publish under pen names because they'd rather their students — and their students' parents — not know that when they're not shaping young minds, they're writing scenes that would make a sex educator blush.

Branding.

A pen name lets you build an author persona that's purpose-built for your sub-genre and your readers. When I was brainstorming mine at a writer's retreat, five already-published author friends gave me feedback like: "that sounds like a Harlequin author from 1987," "nobody will spell that right," and "that makes me think you're a hundred years old." None of those were great pen names — but several ended up as character names.

Flexibility.

A pen name gives you permission to experiment — to try a new sub-genre or heat level without dragging your existing readers into territory they didn't sign up for. Imagine your first series is inspirational romance. Then you get a market signal that the next big thing is possessive blue aliens with ridged... well, you know. A new pen name for that series is a very good call.

Managing reader expectations.

The flip side of flexibility: readers who loved your sweet small-town romance will not automatically love your reverse harem paranormal. This isn't a reflection of your writing. It's a reflection of how genre readers work. Authors who write across very different sub-genres often use separate names for each — not to deceive readers, but to protect them from a mismatch.

Legal reasons.

Sometimes a contract requires it. Authors who sign with a major publisher or with Amazon's Montlake imprint often agree not to publish under the same name outside of that deal. Rather than stop writing, some use a second pen name for their indie titles.

How to find your name (in seven steps)

Step 1: Get clear on your author persona

Before you start brainstorming names, spend a few minutes thinking about the kind of author you are. Or want to be.

• Are your stories dark and twisty? 
• Cozy and slow-burn? 
• Laugh-until-you-snort funny? 
• Steamy and unapologetic? 

Your name should feel like it belongs on the covers you're imagining. You'll build this out more fully in the lessons that follow, but it starts here.

Step 2: Research name patterns in your sub-genre

Spend 10–15 minutes on Amazon in your chosen sub-genre's bestseller list and look at the top author names. Not to copy them, to learn the "name language" your readers already associate with books they love.

• Do the names tend to be short? 
• Do surnames evoke a visual or feeling? 
• Are initials common? 

You won't find 100% consistency, but you will see patterns worth knowing.

One strategy I've heard is to literally choose one first name and one surname from the top 50 authors in your sub-genre. The thinking is that the combination will feel natural to readers. I'd use caution here though. If two of the best-known authors in your space are Navessa Allen and Brynne Weaver, naming yourself Navessa Weaver is a bit on the nose.

Step 3: Keep it simple, memorable, and professional

Avoid names that are too long, hard to spell, or difficult to pronounce. You want readers to be able to find you in a search bar and tell their friends about you out loud without having to spell it first. A tip I was given (and ignored!) is to aim for three syllables total, first and last combined. Three syllables tends to be more memorable and takes up less space on a cover, leaving room for what really matters: your title and your future bestseller status line.

And while Valentina Kissingwell or Fanny Tickler would certainly be memorable, dial it back. Save the creative names for your characters.

Step 4: Brainstorm your list

Write your ideas somewhere you'll actually keep them. Make a list of first names you love. Make a list of surnames you'd be proud to sign with. Then start combining. If you're stuck, try putting your real name through an anagram generator and see what surfaces. I did this, and it's how Danika Bloom came to be. (If I'd stuck strictly to the anagram, my pen name would have been Danika Blo. Not quite the brand feel I was going for.)

Step 5: Eliminate duplicates

> Read the rest on the blog

xo Danika

PS—Your author name is not just a label — it's the beginning of a brand promise. A name that fits your sub-genre, sits well in your readers' mouths, and feels genuinely like yours will make every other branding decision in this module easier. Take the time to find it.

PPS—The places authors most often get stuck at this stage are knowing whether a name is too close to an existing author's, deciding between two names they love equally, and figuring out whether their name fits their sub-genre when they're not yet sure what sub-genre they're writing in.

All of those are great questions to bring to the community — ideally before you start building anything with your name on it.

Want full access to the full Romance Your Launch program in one place, all the worksheets, small group support calls, and a community of romance authors who are building this alongside you?

Learn more about Author Ever After

Danika Bloom

* USA Today bestselling romance author

* President, Emerald City Romance Writers

Publishing Mentor: AuthorEverAfter.com

Author: DanikaBloom.com

Founder: Swoonworthy Services

Conversations: YouTube

With respect and gratitude, I operate on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation.