Hi My Name Is......The Art of Pen Names

Aspiring authors always ask "should I use a pen name?" Well I hate to report but there is no magic answer to this age old question. The key is to be memorable. Therefore, you must do what works for you. In my opinion if your name is common, chances are you just may be lost in the sauce of the million other "Danielle's" of the world. Unless of course you are Danielle Steele. Her name is a household commodity and is synonymous with the term "bestseller". However, don't get me wrong. It does not just take a strong name to sell a book. For these purposes we are assuming the book is great!

Whether or not to use a pen name was the dilemma I faced when embarking on my literary journey. I knew my name was common so I wanted something that I could brand and set myself apart from others in my field.  I wanted it to be short enough to remember yet easily associated with something memorable. In addition, the key for me was to also make it catchy with a bit of an edge to say the least. To me, pen names should be a conversation piece. So far "Envy Red" has done just that.

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