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Is it a bad idea to have an pen name with only an initial for a surname?

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Is it a bad idea to have an pen name with only an initial for a surname?

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4

So my name is Ana Novkovic and I'm about to start writing and all that. I really really don't like my last name Novkovic. It's so hard to pronounce and I worry it would just distract readers and not look good.

I am considering using the pen name Ana N. Is it a bad idea to have an pen name within only an initial for a surname?

creative-writing pseudonym

share|improve this question

edited 23 mins ago

linksassin

3,1721041

asked 9 hours ago

AnaAna

211

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• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you do think that your last name is not good enough (although I personally just can't see why), you can choose a different pen name. However, I think "Ana N." is just too generic and would hurt your visibility when people start googling this name.
  
  – Alexander
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  4
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think Ana Novkovic is a very nice name. It sounds foreign to me (maybe Russian? Not sure), but is remarkably easy to read and would probably be easy enough to say for most English speakers.
  
  – icanfathom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This is a very very opinion based question
  
  – DJ Spicy Deluxe
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Agree with @Alexander. Test with google (and others) first, it doesn't seem search-friendly.... It does have a kind of '80s Berlin punkscene vibe, which is cool but dated… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiane_F.
  
  – wetcircuit
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

4

So my name is Ana Novkovic and I'm about to start writing and all that. I really really don't like my last name Novkovic. It's so hard to pronounce and I worry it would just distract readers and not look good.

I am considering using the pen name Ana N. Is it a bad idea to have an pen name within only an initial for a surname?

creative-writing pseudonym

share|improve this question

edited 23 mins ago

linksassin

3,1721041

asked 9 hours ago

AnaAna

211

New contributor

Ana is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you do think that your last name is not good enough (although I personally just can't see why), you can choose a different pen name. However, I think "Ana N." is just too generic and would hurt your visibility when people start googling this name.
  
  – Alexander
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  4
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think Ana Novkovic is a very nice name. It sounds foreign to me (maybe Russian? Not sure), but is remarkably easy to read and would probably be easy enough to say for most English speakers.
  
  – icanfathom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This is a very very opinion based question
  
  – DJ Spicy Deluxe
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Agree with @Alexander. Test with google (and others) first, it doesn't seem search-friendly.... It does have a kind of '80s Berlin punkscene vibe, which is cool but dated… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiane_F.
  
  – wetcircuit
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

So my name is Ana Novkovic and I'm about to start writing and all that. I really really don't like my last name Novkovic. It's so hard to pronounce and I worry it would just distract readers and not look good.

I am considering using the pen name Ana N. Is it a bad idea to have an pen name within only an initial for a surname?

creative-writing pseudonym

share|improve this question

edited 23 mins ago

linksassin

3,1721041

asked 9 hours ago

AnaAna

211

New contributor

Ana is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

edited 23 mins ago

linksassin

3,1721041

asked 9 hours ago

AnaAna

211

New contributor

Ana is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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share|improve this question

edited 23 mins ago

linksassin

3,1721041

asked 9 hours ago

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edited 23 mins ago

linksassin

3,1721041

edited 23 mins ago

linksassin

3,1721041

asked 9 hours ago

AnaAna

211

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asked 9 hours ago

AnaAna

211

3 Answers
3

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10

You can publish under any name you choose. Whether it makes a difference to your sales is a very open question, but if it makes you feel better about publishing your work, then by all means use a pen name. Many great writers have done so -- Mark Twain was a pen name; so was Andre Norton. More recently, John Varley was a pen name -- and these are just the ones I know, whose work I've read (and I'm a pretty narrow reader).

On the other hand, people with harder names than yours have published under their birth names -- Somtow Sucharitkul, for instance (though after several years, he changed to using S.P. Somtow). Aleksandr Solzhenytsin was another.

I'd suggest you don't worry about whether your readers can pronounce your name, and concentrate on writing work they'll want to read. If they want to read it, they'll get past your name.

share|improve this answer

answered 9 hours ago

Zeiss IkonZeiss Ikon

2,7482626

add a comment | 

2

Your name is fine. I would not choose an initial for a surname because people will wonder what you're hiding and you have to file extra paperwork for a pseudonym. But of course you can always tell people "just call me Ana N." when you want. Some of my daughter's teachers at her school go by "Mr. G" or "Ms. O" because their names are long and/or hard to pronounce.

share|improve this answer

answered 7 hours ago

CynCyn

24.6k253113

add a comment | 

2

Partly because your name is the same as a Slovenian politician famous enough to be listed in Wikipedia, you should consider an alternative. Do you like your mother's maiden name? Would you prefer a shortened version or an English translation of your surname (Like Ana Novik or Ana Newson, for example)? It should be short enough, memorable and have some charm for you, and it should "age well."

I've had a pseudo for years for arts things that I do that are completely unrelated to my main career, they definitely come in handy. But do tell your publisher and/or agent your full legal name :-)

share|improve this answer

answered 6 hours ago

TimeGliderTimeGlider

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10

You can publish under any name you choose. Whether it makes a difference to your sales is a very open question, but if it makes you feel better about publishing your work, then by all means use a pen name. Many great writers have done so -- Mark Twain was a pen name; so was Andre Norton. More recently, John Varley was a pen name -- and these are just the ones I know, whose work I've read (and I'm a pretty narrow reader).

On the other hand, people with harder names than yours have published under their birth names -- Somtow Sucharitkul, for instance (though after several years, he changed to using S.P. Somtow). Aleksandr Solzhenytsin was another.

I'd suggest you don't worry about whether your readers can pronounce your name, and concentrate on writing work they'll want to read. If they want to read it, they'll get past your name.

share|improve this answer

answered 9 hours ago

Zeiss IkonZeiss Ikon

2,7482626

add a comment | 

10

You can publish under any name you choose. Whether it makes a difference to your sales is a very open question, but if it makes you feel better about publishing your work, then by all means use a pen name. Many great writers have done so -- Mark Twain was a pen name; so was Andre Norton. More recently, John Varley was a pen name -- and these are just the ones I know, whose work I've read (and I'm a pretty narrow reader).

On the other hand, people with harder names than yours have published under their birth names -- Somtow Sucharitkul, for instance (though after several years, he changed to using S.P. Somtow). Aleksandr Solzhenytsin was another.

I'd suggest you don't worry about whether your readers can pronounce your name, and concentrate on writing work they'll want to read. If they want to read it, they'll get past your name.

share|improve this answer

answered 9 hours ago

Zeiss IkonZeiss Ikon

2,7482626

add a comment | 

You can publish under any name you choose. Whether it makes a difference to your sales is a very open question, but if it makes you feel better about publishing your work, then by all means use a pen name. Many great writers have done so -- Mark Twain was a pen name; so was Andre Norton. More recently, John Varley was a pen name -- and these are just the ones I know, whose work I've read (and I'm a pretty narrow reader).

On the other hand, people with harder names than yours have published under their birth names -- Somtow Sucharitkul, for instance (though after several years, he changed to using S.P. Somtow). Aleksandr Solzhenytsin was another.

I'd suggest you don't worry about whether your readers can pronounce your name, and concentrate on writing work they'll want to read. If they want to read it, they'll get past your name.

share|improve this answer

answered 9 hours ago

Zeiss IkonZeiss Ikon

2,7482626

share|improve this answer

answered 9 hours ago

Zeiss IkonZeiss Ikon

2,7482626

answered 9 hours ago

Zeiss IkonZeiss Ikon

2,7482626

answered 9 hours ago

Zeiss IkonZeiss Ikon

2,7482626

2

Your name is fine. I would not choose an initial for a surname because people will wonder what you're hiding and you have to file extra paperwork for a pseudonym. But of course you can always tell people "just call me Ana N." when you want. Some of my daughter's teachers at her school go by "Mr. G" or "Ms. O" because their names are long and/or hard to pronounce.

share|improve this answer

answered 7 hours ago

CynCyn

24.6k253113

add a comment | 

2

Your name is fine. I would not choose an initial for a surname because people will wonder what you're hiding and you have to file extra paperwork for a pseudonym. But of course you can always tell people "just call me Ana N." when you want. Some of my daughter's teachers at her school go by "Mr. G" or "Ms. O" because their names are long and/or hard to pronounce.

share|improve this answer

answered 7 hours ago

CynCyn

24.6k253113

add a comment | 

Your name is fine. I would not choose an initial for a surname because people will wonder what you're hiding and you have to file extra paperwork for a pseudonym. But of course you can always tell people "just call me Ana N." when you want. Some of my daughter's teachers at her school go by "Mr. G" or "Ms. O" because their names are long and/or hard to pronounce.

share|improve this answer

answered 7 hours ago

CynCyn

24.6k253113

share|improve this answer

answered 7 hours ago

CynCyn

24.6k253113

answered 7 hours ago

CynCyn

24.6k253113

answered 7 hours ago

CynCyn

24.6k253113

2

Partly because your name is the same as a Slovenian politician famous enough to be listed in Wikipedia, you should consider an alternative. Do you like your mother's maiden name? Would you prefer a shortened version or an English translation of your surname (Like Ana Novik or Ana Newson, for example)? It should be short enough, memorable and have some charm for you, and it should "age well."

I've had a pseudo for years for arts things that I do that are completely unrelated to my main career, they definitely come in handy. But do tell your publisher and/or agent your full legal name :-)

share|improve this answer

answered 6 hours ago

TimeGliderTimeGlider

1335

New contributor

TimeGlider is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

2

Partly because your name is the same as a Slovenian politician famous enough to be listed in Wikipedia, you should consider an alternative. Do you like your mother's maiden name? Would you prefer a shortened version or an English translation of your surname (Like Ana Novik or Ana Newson, for example)? It should be short enough, memorable and have some charm for you, and it should "age well."

I've had a pseudo for years for arts things that I do that are completely unrelated to my main career, they definitely come in handy. But do tell your publisher and/or agent your full legal name :-)

share|improve this answer

answered 6 hours ago

TimeGliderTimeGlider

1335

New contributor

TimeGlider is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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add a comment | 

Partly because your name is the same as a Slovenian politician famous enough to be listed in Wikipedia, you should consider an alternative. Do you like your mother's maiden name? Would you prefer a shortened version or an English translation of your surname (Like Ana Novik or Ana Newson, for example)? It should be short enough, memorable and have some charm for you, and it should "age well."

I've had a pseudo for years for arts things that I do that are completely unrelated to my main career, they definitely come in handy. But do tell your publisher and/or agent your full legal name :-)

share|improve this answer

answered 6 hours ago

TimeGliderTimeGlider

1335

New contributor

TimeGlider is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this answer

answered 6 hours ago

TimeGliderTimeGlider

1335

New contributor

TimeGlider is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

answered 6 hours ago

TimeGliderTimeGlider

1335

New contributor

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answered 6 hours ago

TimeGliderTimeGlider

1335