Pseudonyms Definition

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Pen names are important to many authors in their career. Lots of authors have used pen names, also known as pseudonyms, when publishing books, poems, or articles. Most authors use pseudonyms to protect their identity, avoid bias, or in some cases to switch up genres. Pen names serve an important role in publishing. Many well-known authors have used pen names in many of their works for different reasons. Pseudonyms can be used to help authors in a variety of ways and are often used to do just that.
Some authors use pseudonyms to protect their identities from family or friends. Some authors may feel that their work could be embarrassing to their family or friends and feel the need to hide their identity. According to E. Bennet, “Eric Blair, author …show more content…

Many female authors have written books using pen names to avoid bias from readers and disguise their gender. E. Bennet stated, “Rowling’s publishers feared that young boys-the presumed audience of the Harry Potter series-wouldn’t take the boom seriously if they knew it was written by a woman.” This means that Joanne Rowling’s publishers had her use the name J.K Rowling in fear that using her actual name would cause bias among young boys. Avoiding bias is a big part of writing for many authors. This ensures that they can be successful in career, and using a pen name is one way that they can achieve their goal.
Some authors like to switch up genres from time to time by using pen names to publish books with different topics. Using a pen name to switch up genres helps make sure that authors do not upset their fans with their new topics. According to E. Bennet, “For Rowling, a new pen name meant a fresh start and a chance to explore a new genre without the pressure of her Harry Potter fame.” Rowling wanted to switch up genres without upsetting her fans, so she used a pseudonym. When an author wants to switch up genres, pseudonyms are important to them so that they don’t upset or disappoint