If Jenna Met Jess in a Battle Royale…
By Jenna Petersen on Oct 31, 2007 in Marketing, Writing Life
Today’s game on the forum, is the 24 hour co-authored Halloween story. For thrills and chills (and laughs), come on by and add your storytelling ability to the mix. Also, don’t forget the week-long Best Beginnings Contest with that fabulous prize – a $50.00 GC!
So lately a lot of people have been asking me about my name. Er, names. Not about what I write, necessarily, but about why I have two (three technically), how I picked the ones I have and what the advantages and disadvantages are to having pen names.
So here’s the thing. I never meant to have three names. I always figured I would have a pen name. My real name is spelled in the masculine and it isn’t particularly marketable. So even before I published, I would occasionally think about potential pen names. I realized that if I was going to take a pen name, it was hopefully going to stick. And that meant I had to pick it with the same sense of care that I might pick a name for a child.
I knew I wanted a name I could answer to. The last thing you want is for someone to be screaming, “Allie! Allie!” across a room and you, Beth, are going, “Who?”. It sort of gives away your big ‘pen name’ secret and can lead to hurt feelings and misunderstandings. I figured I wanted a name that was kind of close to my own. A similar issue was signing. I wanted a name where I’d have at least a couple of letters to remember who the heck I was and that I was signing a BOOK, not a check.
I wanted a name that meant something to me. So on my list were names that combined my grandmother’s maiden names, some family names, etc. Something that when I saw it, it would make me smile.
And then there was spelling. When you’re a girl growing up with a boy’s first name, no one EVER spells your name right. And that’s annoying when you are in real life and it can be detrimental when it’s a reader in a bookstore with a clerk who is only half listening. They might just give up if they can’t find the name.
Finally, I wanted a name that wasn’t stupid or silly or clichéd. For a long time romance had a tradition of authors picking just… weird names. Names that were so obviously not real and silly. I wanted my work to be taken seriously so no ChiChi Heart or Desyre Kane for me.
What I was left with was Jess Michaels. It was a combination of my real name and my husband’s name, so it meant something. It was easy to spell. I would answer to it. And it wasn’t silly. So I sold my first book to Red Sage and they honestly could have cared less about my name. I could have said Desyre Kane and they would have said, “Okay!” I was happy, they were happy and for almost a year, I started building my Jess Michaels name out there in the universe.
And then I sold to Avon. It wasn’t that they hated the Jess Michaels name, but they still thought it was slightly ambivalent as far as gender went. And not quite marketable enough. See, they actually intended to put some push behind whatever name I picked, so they wanted a name that would be pushable. I went back to the drawing board, this time with my agent by my side and began all over again.
A word to the wise, never give a joke name. This is the name they will love. And they did.
Jenna Petersen was born. Again, it fit most of my original criteria. It was close to my own name, I had two letters to remember who was who. It meant something to me since it was my real last name. It wasn’t stupid. The spelling… a little more complicated since no one in the universe seems to pay attention that it is PetersEn not sOn. But on the whole, it was good.
Suddenly I had not one, not two but three names. No one ever said publishing would be easy. Or simple.
Don’t get me wrong, there are huge benefits to having two different names to publish under and one to live by. I have a layer of privacy since neither Jess Michaels nor Jenna Petersen actually exist. I can be the best parts of my personality when I go out as either name and leave my neuroses at home with the cats and my real name. And the two publishing names do differentiate. So if someone doesn’t like erotic romance or strong language, I can say, “Avoid the Jess books and you’ll probably be happy.”
But there are big disadvantages. Building one name is hard and expensive enough. I get to multiply that by two. Last year I finally gave up and merged the two websites. I just could not maintain three sites (two author and Passionate Pen) anymore and keep them all fresh. So www.jessmichaels.com now forwards to www.jennapetersen.com/jess, which is its own page for my Jess Michaels work.
In addition, people are sometimes confused by which name is writing what and when that book is coming out. And because I write very sensual historicals, even my editor and agent are sometimes left saying, “Where’s the line between the two again?”
In the end, I think I would probably not do two names if I had to do it all again. I would probably try to do just one and leave it at that. But since I do have two? I try to make the best of it. And enjoy the perks that being three people and NOT be wanted by the FBI can bring.
So how about you? Are you annoyed or excited when you find out your favorite author has yet another name? Do you plan on having a pen name or multiple pen names?
I’ve got one already, but am probably going to keep it that way (if I can) despite writing two different types of historicals (one is straight historical romance and the other is historical romantic suspense, where there is a greater emphasis on suspense and history than romance).
Camilla Bartley | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
In the 1980’s, on my list of favorite authors, were the names Jayne Ann Krentz, Jayne Castle, and Stephanie James. I had been reading Stephanie James for awhile and I happened to pick up a Jayne Castle or JAK, I can’t remember which, and it hit me. These writers were the same person. LOL – I don’t know how this woman keeps them straight. Besides these names, she also writes under Amanda Quick, and I think there was another at the beginning of her career. Whew! Talk about multiple identities! She must’ve had a terrible time at book signings.
I plan on having two pen names, to keep my ER separate from my mainstream romance. The current name I’ve chosen is very close to my own – same first name only without the “U”. I’ll work on picking a second when I get there. Hopefully, that won’t be too long in the future!
Jenna, thanks for blogging with us today. I really enjoyed it! :-)
Lara Lee | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Thanks so much for sharing your name struggles with us today. I, as the other 9 Roundtablers already know, waffled horribly about trying to come up with a pen name. I knew I had to have one, thanks to my “real” profession, but really struggled to find one that made me happy. I even polled my family to help make a decision, and made them vote on the list of possible identities I had compiled!
It’s so nice to know that we’re not alone in these decisions; that we’re following in some pretty incredible footsteps! Thanks again for coming to play with us!
Kelly Arden | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Hi Jenna,
I’m thinking you must have been a Charlie’s Angels fan to come up with your Lady Spies series. Which heroine is which Angel? LOL!!
I’ve been struggling with whether to use a pen name or not. I know how I felt when I found out Sandra Brown wrote under all her different names when she was writing category. I remember thinking ‘darn, the good books I missed because I didn’t know Rachel Ryan was Erin St. Claire was Sandra Brown. Some of her books I only read last year because of that.
It does get confusing but back then there were no websites and such. I think if the author markets and promotes herself, she won’t leave her fans in the dark.
Beverley | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
You know, the pen name thing was very different back in the 80s/90s. The publishers owned the pen names nad could basically force an author to take one, then keep if when they left a publishing house. That’s why so many people switched. It was very difficult and lots of wonderful authors and organizations fought so that those clauses no longer exist.
Sometimes an author changes her name because her career has hit a slow spot. That was the case with Jayne Ann (she was at the conference this weekend, talking about this very thing). When someone changes names for that purpose, they might not advertise just because they’re trying to leave the bad numbers and impression behind.
JennaP (who will be back later).
Jenna Petersen | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Do you ever find yourself answering to the wrong name?
Alice | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
You mean something other than Jenna/Jess? No, I have too many names to keep any other person’s as my own. LOL I once did sign a Jess Michaels book as Jenna Petersen, though. I felt bad, but the reader seemed excited, like some day it would be a collector’s item. Which was nice. LOL
JennaP
Jenna Petersen | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
I’m curious to know whether your writing process differs when you’re wearing one persona or the other — is it just a matter of there being a different core to the stories, or do you approach the novel in an entirely different way? Is it difficult to juggle the different publishers and house styles or editorial “nits”? (I’m full of questions!)
Chris | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Since conceiving of this group blog, we have all been struggling with our writing identities. The thing that really stood out for me in your blog (and that I had never thought about) is the time, effort, and money that it will take to maintain more than one identity. This kind of knowledge is valuable. Thanks for sharing!
Lara Lee | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Chris, I do build the story differenly. I tend to build my erotic romances around a sexual conflict, thus the sex scenes in the book are more germaine to the story. Otherwise, my process is the same.
As for different houses, different editors, I only write for Avon now under both names, so I have the same editor and process for both my Avon Romances and my Avon Reds.
And Lara, I’m glad to help! It’s definitely something one has to consider.
Jenna Petersen | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
You manage your own websites, right? Because the ability to do that would seem to be a big factor in the cost of having several names and websites for each. I mean you would still have the time factor to manage several websites but at least you wouldn’t be paying someone else.
You mentioned that Avon nixed your Jess Michaels name for historicals and that’s how you ended up with two names. For an unpublished author would you recommend not picking a pen name and setting up a website until you have a publisher and they decide on your name? No point buying that desyrekane.com webname and setting up a website if they want you to use a different name?
Lila Farrington | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Yes, if you can manage (while still looking super professional) your own websites, it can make it easier. But ultimately, I couldn’t afford the time anymore for all three.
I probably wouldn’t spend too much time building a pen name before you publish. You can reserve a domain for fairly cheap so if you’re really hoping for a name, holding it is fine. But I wouldn’t neccesarily build a huge ’standing’ without knowing that’s really the name you’re going to go with.
Conversely, if you’re in the situation where you’re talking to an editor or agent about a pen name once you’re selling or close to selling… make sure any pen name you offer has a website available. If you can’t get YourName.com, you are handicapping yourself out of the gate! So be sure you can get any name you seriously consider.
Jenna Petersen | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Jenna/Jess, I just want to say a huge thank you for The Passionate Pen! What a wonderful resource for aspiring authors, and it must be a real labor of love for you. I know it’s been extremely helpful to me.
I probably wouldn’t spend too much time building a pen name before you publish. You can reserve a domain for fairly cheap so if you’re really hoping for a name, holding it is fine. But I wouldn’t neccesarily build a huge ’standing’ without knowing that’s really the name you’re going to go with.
Yeah, I got pretty lucky that my publisher is happy with the pen name I’ve been using for the last year. But by the same token, if you’re an aspiring author who wants to have a website but doesn’t want to use her “real” name, you don’t have much choice but to just choose a pen name and start developing an online presence, even though the publisher might change it. Kind of a catch-22.
Jenna, in your opinion, how important is it to publishers and agents that an aspiring author have an established online presence?
Tessa Dare | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Thanks, Jenna. That’s a really good idea to just buy the domain name now. Not very pricey to just hold onto for when you need it in the future. Wouldn’t it be awful if you got the name you wanted with your publisher and then it wasn’t available on the net anyway.
Lila Farrington | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
That’s true, Tessa, it is a catch-22. I know that having The Passionate Pen as a ‘platform’ (that is what they call it in publishing) was a big factor in the offer I was made.
So I guess I should make a change to what I said earlier… if you are willing to invest the time and money to really creating a strong web presence with a pen name you choose before you are published, then the publisher will probably have no choice but to keep it because you’ll have a strong platform.
If you aren’t, then I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
However, I’d stick to the rules I used it you are going to pick a pen name and try to build it. Don’t make it cringe-worthy, nothing too hard to spell or super long (space on the cover will be premium). Make it something you can live with a long time and can answer to reasonably easily.
Jenna Petersen | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
LOL. Great advice, to think it through first. My pen name did start as a joke, and I never expected I’d publish anything under it. But then, my books are full of tongue-in-cheek humor and plays on words, so in the end I think the pen name actually fits the product pretty well. It’s all part of the “brand”, right? Because like you say, the name takes up a big part of the front of the book. If an author’s pen name reflects her style – whether it’s clean and unfussy, or richly historical, or *wink-wink* humorous, or whatever – it’s just one more way to give readers a feel for what’s inside the book.
Did you think about where your pen names would put you on the bookshelves, relative to other authors? I’ve heard of people picking pen names for that reason.
Tessa Dare | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Totally true, Tessa. I was just thinking that. If you write kicky contemporaries, a more modern name will fit better than if you write rich historicals. So think about that, too.
As for where you sit on the shelves, honestly, I wouldn’t stress it. The fact is, every single store is laid out differently. And from week to week you’ll move. In my local B&N (where I was today), sometimes I’m on the bottom shelf, sometimes on the top, sometimes in the middle depending on who has a book out.
Plus, I wouldn’t pick by who you want to be by because, again there are factors in the mix. I might not pick a Z last name since that will pretty much make sure you’re on the lower shelf (though not always). Other than that, I wouldn’t worry about placement either shelf or author-wise.
Oh, another thing. Don’t think you can go calling yourself Julie Quinn and that will be okay. Your publisher will tell you it’s too close to Julia Quinn. Even if that were your real name, I would bet they would request that you come up with a new one. Same thing with one that sounds too similar to a big time author. And trust me, you’ll only create confusion that way anyway.
Jenna Petersen | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
My sweetie will be home in about an hour and we haven’t seen each other for over a week. So I’m going to head out for today. But if you leave more comments, I’ll come back tomorrow and answer even though it won’t be my blog day anymore! :) See you then!! And come visit me on the message board. I’m answering all KINDS of questions there!
Jenna Petersen | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Jenna,
I’m coming in late once again. What a great post! I went through trying to pick a pen name not too long ago.
For myself I have to have a pen name. Too many people wouldn’t understand why I write what I write.
Like you I went through my ancestry to find a name I liked. After choosing several I let the girls at FF vote and that is how Renee Lynn Scott came to be.
Once again, thanks for joining us.
Renee | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Wow, busy day here at my full time job! I am the queen of pen names. I swear I have it down to 2 now. I promise. Cynthia Falcon (Similar to my real name) and Sindee Sexton (Can’t have my church going family members thinking any less of me than they already do) :)
Sindee | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
I started out years ago really wanting my own name on the cover of my books. That imagined thrill was part of the overall dream. But the more I learned about this industry and the more I realized selling my first book wouldn’t necessarily mean quitting my day job, the more I realized how important a pseudonym could be. I, too, have chosen a name that means something to me and one that I can really live with. Hopefully, when I finally do sell, my editor will like it as well.
Thanks so much for the advice and for sharing your experiences with us! And, thanks, too, for sharing our anniversary with us!
Maura | Nov 1, 2007 | Reply
Yup, you really have to consider why you want a pen name. I mean, if you have a marketable real name and no reason to seperate yourself from your work, why not use your real name? Like Robyn DeHart. DeHart is her REAL last name. She would have been silly not to use such a great romancey name!
Thanks for sharing yesterday with me! :)
JennaP
Jenna Petersen | Nov 1, 2007 | Reply
Awesome! Ahahaha! Stop it, you?re killing me! Anyway, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought this is great.
Geoff | Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
It’s funny how people believe everything that is written in Internet. But it’s their own business, I don’t care about them. My opinion is that it’s such a bullshit!
Marek | Apr 6, 2008 | Reply