Pseudonyms, According to Joyce Carol Oates - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T05:50:20Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:135073?feed=yes&xn_auth=noI suppose one could say I wri…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-10:537324:Comment:1360242008-04-10T21:14:54.164ZT. L. Cooperhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TLCooper
I suppose one could say I write under a pseudonym because I use my initials and my maiden name. I chose to do that for several reasons. One very personal one relating back to my college days and probably irrelevant now, but it sure seemed important at the time. The second being that my married last name confuses people and no one spells it correctly sometimes even after having it written for them multiple times. I have one friend of close to fifteen years who still misspells my married last…
I suppose one could say I write under a pseudonym because I use my initials and my maiden name. I chose to do that for several reasons. One very personal one relating back to my college days and probably irrelevant now, but it sure seemed important at the time. The second being that my married last name confuses people and no one spells it correctly sometimes even after having it written for them multiple times. I have one friend of close to fifteen years who still misspells my married last name. I've been tempted make her do the "Write it 100 times" exercise teachers used to make us do to learn things like state capitols or not to talk in class. Why make it even harder for people to find my work by using a name they coudn't pronounce or spell? Now as for using my initials, my main reason was the same as someone else mentioned, to be genderless; however, now that my picture is plastered all over the net and I chair Murder in the Grove that's hardly relevant. More importantly, I just liked the way it looked. LET ME SAY EMPHATICALLY THAT…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-04:537324:Comment:1353942008-04-04T17:50:41.327ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
LET ME SAY EMPHATICALLY THAT DO NOT HATE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. I used to depend on them and love them, but I hope one may use and love a thing without being blinded to its shortcomings. Same as with people. Why would you assume I hate the library because I took a book to the Reference desk, stood in line, and waited my turn to explain that they might want to reshelve an author's books? Yes, I'm mildly irritated that they decided not to do so, but that doesn't mean I hate libraries.<br />
And why do I…
LET ME SAY EMPHATICALLY THAT DO NOT HATE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. I used to depend on them and love them, but I hope one may use and love a thing without being blinded to its shortcomings. Same as with people. Why would you assume I hate the library because I took a book to the Reference desk, stood in line, and waited my turn to explain that they might want to reshelve an author's books? Yes, I'm mildly irritated that they decided not to do so, but that doesn't mean I hate libraries.<br />
And why do I seem to have made an enemy here? I think it must be because I once expressed concern that libraries cut severely into book sales. That is a fact over which I have no control, and I certainly don't want to change a system which benefits many people. LOL. And here I was convinced…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-04:537324:Comment:1353502008-04-04T14:27:35.880ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
LOL. And here I was convinced that they were gifted with a superior sense of getting to the bottom of mysteries.<br />
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This doesn't necessarily explain though why our local library shelves Arnaldur Indridasson's books under "A" -- and that even after I pointed out the problem to them a few months ago, along with the book's blurb, which made it abundantly clear that the last name was Indridasson.
LOL. And here I was convinced that they were gifted with a superior sense of getting to the bottom of mysteries.<br />
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This doesn't necessarily explain though why our local library shelves Arnaldur Indridasson's books under "A" -- and that even after I pointed out the problem to them a few months ago, along with the book's blurb, which made it abundantly clear that the last name was Indridasson. Ugh, Joyce Carol Oates. She's…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-04:537324:Comment:1353012008-04-04T04:37:16.509ZJohnny Ostentatioushttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JohnnyOstentatious
Ugh, Joyce Carol Oates. She's about as much fun as a case of the clap.
Ugh, Joyce Carol Oates. She's about as much fun as a case of the clap. Hasn't hurt Nora Roberts any.…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-03:537324:Comment:1352482008-04-03T22:39:23.216ZDeirdrehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Deirdre
Hasn't hurt Nora Roberts any. And in fact may have increased her fans by double. Stephen King also has a couple.<br />
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In fact more authors than not have at least two.<br />
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I actually have one. That I enjoy writing under, because it frees my imagination and I can pretend
Hasn't hurt Nora Roberts any. And in fact may have increased her fans by double. Stephen King also has a couple.<br />
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In fact more authors than not have at least two.<br />
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I actually have one. That I enjoy writing under, because it frees my imagination and I can pretend Well, yes. It's ultimately ge…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-03:537324:Comment:1352172008-04-03T21:18:51.221ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Well, yes. It's ultimately getting the sales. Actually, I've found you can't get away with anything anyway. Librarians will sniff out any subterfuge and post it on the web.
Well, yes. It's ultimately getting the sales. Actually, I've found you can't get away with anything anyway. Librarians will sniff out any subterfuge and post it on the web. I can actually see the point…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-03:537324:Comment:1351872008-04-03T19:09:45.884ZNaomi Hiraharahttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/gasagasagirl
I can actually see the point of using a pseudonym if an author is exploring two very disparate genres, especially if one readership would be turned off by the other set of books.
I can actually see the point of using a pseudonym if an author is exploring two very disparate genres, especially if one readership would be turned off by the other set of books. William Shek--I like it!tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-03:537324:Comment:1351832008-04-03T19:02:15.062ZNaomi Hiraharahttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/gasagasagirl
William Shek--I like it!
William Shek--I like it! What a very good topic, Naomi…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-03:537324:Comment:1351752008-04-03T18:22:53.260ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
What a very good topic, Naomi. I, like you, cannot imagine writing under a pseudonym, but clearly my choice to use initials only -- in a vain attempt to disguise my gender -- may have something in it that resembles the cases of other female writers cited by Ms. Oates. I knew I wanted men to read my books also, and I had formed an idea that female authors were thought to write only cozies. From a marketing standpoint that wasn't smart. Women consume far more books than men.<br />
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My thought is that…
What a very good topic, Naomi. I, like you, cannot imagine writing under a pseudonym, but clearly my choice to use initials only -- in a vain attempt to disguise my gender -- may have something in it that resembles the cases of other female writers cited by Ms. Oates. I knew I wanted men to read my books also, and I had formed an idea that female authors were thought to write only cozies. From a marketing standpoint that wasn't smart. Women consume far more books than men.<br />
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My thought is that authors change to a pseudonym either because their previous books have not sold well and publishers do hold that against any future books -- or because sometimes the literary author wants to cut into the mass market by writing mysteries but is secretly ashamed of them and doesn't want his own good name associated with them. I really don't see any other good reason for it and don't buy this reinventing oneself. Banville did not reinvent himself with his mystery. It's standard Banville. I cannot speak for Oates. I'm not terribly familiar with her work.<br />
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Lastly, I suppose, if the only way I could get another book published was under a pseudonym, I would -- but not by choice. Double M sounds good. A drawn…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-04-03:537324:Comment:1351742008-04-03T18:21:51.878ZEric Stonehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/estone888
Double M sounds good. A drawn relative makes for an amusing tale. I'm envious. Unfortunately, as far as I can get out of my family, they seem to have sprung magically into being on Ellis Island sometime around 1908, having got there mostly from Russia where no one claims to know nothin'.
Double M sounds good. A drawn relative makes for an amusing tale. I'm envious. Unfortunately, as far as I can get out of my family, they seem to have sprung magically into being on Ellis Island sometime around 1908, having got there mostly from Russia where no one claims to know nothin'.