In this minisode of So you want to be a writer: Bill wants to write and create social media platforms under a pen name. Simone asks about different publishing options for her parenting book.
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I really enjoy listening every week to gain some insight into the world of writing. Valerie and Alison present in a relaxed tone which makes it so easy to listen and enjoy. Love the Author profiles and extra resources and tips. Thanks ladies :-)
Bill asks: Firstly, I love the podcast. I’m a nouveau, avid listener and relishing catching up on many of the previous podcasts. I do have a burning question and hope you can offer some advice: For reasons of my own, I really do not want to publish under my actual name for my first book.
I understand that the industry is focused on spotlighting the author, the prospect of which is making me quite bilious. I would much rather just write a nice story and not have to deal with author bio’s, social media, blah blah blah.
My original intent was to publish under a pen-name but I’m beginning to realise that in this day & age, this may be harder to achieve than initially thought.
My question is: How far do you go in marketing under a pen-name? I feel like I am starting to create a character in my novel masquerading as the author.
After asking Bill for more clarity:
I am 80% through the first draft so there is a long way to go before having to really deal with this issue but planning ahead none-the-less. If I am lucky enough to be picked up – yes I would definitely give my real name (writing as…) to a publisher.
I’ve done a bit of research into the legalities and best practices of using a pen-name but they don’t really cover the complexities of marketing under such a name. (e.g setting up social media accounts, communications etc. etc.) Listening to one of your podcasts I noted the author’s interview from a publisher and the questions asked in establishing an author’s bio, which filled me with horrors at having to answer such questions with a pen-name (that crosses a cultural divide).
If I am self-publishing, my natural instinct would be to not market altogether but understand that would not be in my best interest.
I was just wondering what advice you would give someone that would actually prefer to be anonymous as an author, in an industry that would make such a possibility incredibly difficult.
Simone asks: I have just found the podcast today. I will definitely explore the archives over the Christmas break as I am guessing my burning questions have already been answered. Despite that, I thought I'd let you know what my main stumbling block is: where to start! I currently write a blog on my speciality, feeding fussy children. Yet, I have a book idea that I am in the midst of writing and would love to know more about different avenues for publishing. My book is a combination of parenting humour mixed with my passion for evidence-based feeding therapy. Looking forward to listening more often in 2017.
Val and Al answer these questions in this minisode. We hope you find this useful! If you have a question, email us at: podcast [at] writerscentre [dot] com [dot] au
In this minisode of So you want to be a writer: Bill wants to write and create social media platforms under a pen name. Simone asks about different publishing options for her parenting book.
