How Do Authors Change Their Names?

When you read a book, do you think the author is actually who they say they are? Sometimes authors change their names because they don’t want to be known by their actual name, or the type of book doesn’t match their identity. A few authors that changed their names are J.K. Rowling, the Bronte sisters, also known as Currer Bell and Ellis Bell, and someone who can be called Richard Bachman at times, Steven King.
There isn’t and shouldn’t be a restriction on who can and cannot change their names as an author. Men and women both have the desire to change names, such as Benjamin Franklin or J.K Rowling. According to the article “What’s in a Name?” Benjamin Franklin changed his name to a middle-aged widow, Silence Dogood, because the local newspaper turned down his publication. J.K Rowling is a woman, but is often known as a man, since people “wouldn’t take the book seriously if they knew it was written by a woman. No matter if she is known as a man or woman, J.K Rowling still has a good amount of the population reading her books.

For example, the Bronte sisters all changed their names to Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. According to the article “Jane Eyre: A Victorian Hero” Charlotte changed her name to Currer Bell because she lived during the Victorian era which “discouraged women from having literary aspirations.” Charlotte Bronte’s sisters, Emily and Anne Bell, write books and poetry using male pseudonyms, which is the term for a fake name. In the article “What’s in a Name?” they used male names “in order to overcome discrimination and get publishers to take them seriously.” During the Victorian Era, women weren’t allowed to