PseudonymsPseudonyms, or pen names, are a hot topic among a lot of writers. Some want to preserve their anonymity should they become famous, some want to write in multiple genres, some just don't want their grandmothers accidentally picking up their smut because it has a family name on it. Some want a pen name to sound "cooler."
They can go to hell.
Why you are not anonymous, everIt's called the Internet. Unless you are planning on never, ever doing appearances (career suicide; you need fans. Fans want to meet authors. You will never become famous overnight to the point that reclusiveness makes you more in demand. Signings and book launches and talks about your books and appearances at conventions for people interested in your genre are what will garner you sales.), you will eventually meet a fan. They might not know you, or recognize you. But what if they get their picture taken with you? That goes on the internet. People will eventually recognize you.
And your publisher or agent needs to know who you are for you to get paid.
Something, somewhere, will always have your real name on it. That will happen.
Get over it. Your are not anonymous, and never will be unless you get off the Internet, burn off your fingerprints, electrolyze out all your hair, pull your teeth, and run off to live in the desert.
Reasons for a pseudonym that workNora Roberts, when she wanted to write outside her romance genre, took a pen name. This was both so fans of one could avoid picking up the very different other, and to establish herself as a multi-genre author. But this was only necessary or viable because she was already established and branded. Nora Roberts is very much her brand; they even put a seal on her new books to show that it hasn't been printed before. So, until you are an established brand in a genre, pseudonyms are not all that viable for writing in multiple genres. Orson Scott Card, for example, wrote a couple sci-fi series as well as religious stories under his own name because he wasn't established as a genre author; he was famous for one series, but it was the series and not the genre that pegged him.
Family and friends seeing your work and judging it is not really a concern for me; I can understand circumstances where it might be, but I wouldn't be writing stuff I'm not proud of. I mean, I'm not going to
encourage them to read my romance novel, but it's not really all that much of an issue for me.
Placing, however, is an issue. If you write romance, for example, picking a pseudonym whose last name begins with 'D' or 'H' puts you right near a bunch of giants of the genre; that might be a consideration, especially if your real last name begins with, say, a 'W.' If you want to write under a pseudonym, pick one whose first letter begins with the same first letter as your favorite author; that way, if you get placed in the same genre area, you'll get some spillover from people looking for your favorite author.
A pseudonym is also extremely viable if you have an unpronounceable name, or one that isn't spelled at all phonetically, like Budzizweski (pronounced 'bood-IH-shef-ski' apparently). If you want people to be able to recommend you, they need to be able to say your name.
What to do with a pseudonymBe consistent. If you use a pseudonym, that is your brand. Your blog should be under that name, and you should have a way to contact you under that name. Speaking engagements happen - you want people to be able to ask you to come speak. And, though this is not the article I was looking for,
branding is important.
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