assuming a name

by Paul Garside
27th January 2014

this will be my second question and hoping it gets as good an answer as my first. my name is as anyone can see quite boring, do I change my name now or wait until someone, if someone ever does take an interest in my writing? I'm sure I will have many more questions as I know nothing of the writing world.

Replies

In the modern publishing world, where 'brand' matters, consistency is key - so whether you choose a new name or not, you'd want all your books published under that, in general. Some authors use different names for different genres, but that's not the norm.

Garside's a decent name! I'd focus on the writing for now.

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Simon P.
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Simon P. Clark
27/01/2014

thank you for your time and comment it's just when I say my name it doesn't roll off the tongue and thought maybe just maybe something more memorable might help. I have considered the extra initial but I wasn't sure if using a pseudonym might be considered arrogant as I am just starting. Thought it might be something you did at the beginning rather than later? Still not sure. thank you. Paul

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Paul
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Paul Garside
27/01/2014

Using a pseudonym's up to you! Boring isn't necessarily bad (and it's subjective, too...). Some writers add an initial, some take on a different family name, and some make up a whole new one. Although publishers might suggest a name change for a specific reason (there's already someone by that name, or it's a very unusual one that might put readers off) I don't think it's normally a major concern.

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Simon P.
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Simon P. Clark
27/01/2014