OK we all use pseudonym like names here (well except TY I saw his license and his name is actually Tampa Yankee )... we want to protect our identity for some obvious reasons.

But what I do not understand is why authors use them. Why did this begin and why does it continue?

Ruth Rendell, for one. She has written so many books, and has already been "outed" as Barbara Vine, so why bother? Even her latest says Ruth Rendel, writing as Barbara Vine.

In the beginning she may have wanted to write in a different style that would not confuse her readers, so she adopted a pseudonym, but now there seems to be no reason for it.

s/ Lucky, writing as FiveAces

Gore Vidal actually used three Pseudonyms. Edgar Box, Cameron Kay and Katherine Everard. Perhaps he was attempting to prove his theory of pansexuality.

Actually Joseph is my real name. I just put GA on the end because I'm a ga native. Until 2008 I use to put my last name in on line handles and my business. The I found out it wasn't always a good idea

Stephen King published some novels under the pen name "Richard Bachman". According to Wikipedia, one reason for using pseudonyms is allow a prolific writer to publish multiple books in a year without saturating the market. King also was curious as to whether the novels would succeed under a different name.

There have been historical instances of women using male pseudonyms to avoid misogynistic prejudice.

There have been historical instances of women using male pseudonyms to avoid misogynistic prejudice.

In the 19th century, it was difficult for women authors to be taken seriously, so Mary Ann Evans became George Eliot, and Aurore Dupin became George Sand. The Bronte sisters all published originally under male pseudonyms (Charlotte was Currer Bell) because writing for money was not considered an acceptable occupation for a respectable woman.

Sometimes writers have reputations in other careers which might be affected if it were known that they were the authors of books outside their field. And some writers simply want to protect their privacy, so their neighbors won't know what they write about.

When I first became involved in the gay rights movement in the early 1960s, I was active in an organization which published a magazine. Every officer and writer (even the cartoonist, who published elsewhere as well) used a pseudonym, either because they feared their family learning about their activism, or they feared losing their jobs. I was elected treasurer of the organization mainly because I was willing to use my own name, since I had to keep the bank account and write the checks.

When I first became involved in the gay rights movement in the early 1960s, I was active in an organization which published a magazine. Every officer and writer (even the cartoonist, who published elsewhere as well) used a pseudonym, either because they feared their family learning about their activism, or they feared losing their jobs. I was elected treasurer of the organization mainly because I was willing to use my own name, since I had to keep the bank account and write the checks.

Since this era (as did the ones which preceded it) suffocated and silenced so many voices, it was because of courageous, selfless and fearless soldiers, such as yourself, which lead to an American President mentioning Stonewall in conjunction with Seneca Falls and Selma in an Inaugural Speech.

Thank-you for your courage and Thank-you for your service to our community.

The truth is that I was too young and naive to be consciously courageous; it just seemed reasonable at the time.

Publishing companies often make writers write under psydonnyms.

For example, crime novel sell better when written by women so fairly often they'll have the writer pretend to be a woman.

On the other hand they had Joanne Rowling had to write under the name "J.K." because they didn't think that a book about a young boy's adventures written by a woman would sell well.

James Tiptree, jr/Alice Bradley Sheldon who published as a male because only boys wrote 'hard' science fiction.

James Tiptree, jr/Alice Bradley Sheldon who published as a male because only boys wrote 'hard' science fiction.

Right! (You know Bob Silverberg made an ass of himself by publishing an essay arguing, before the truth was known, that Tiptree's writing had to be that of a man.)

And then some other female SF writers used initials instead of full first names to hide their sex. Catherine Lucille Moore published as C.L. Moore. She also frequently collaborated with her husband, most of their work being published at the time under the pseudonyms of Lewis Padgett or Lawrence O'Donnell. Wikipedia says one reason they published together so often, even in some instances where the work was hers alone, was that his page rate of pay was higher.

And of course Dorothy Catherine Fontana, longtime story editor and scriptwriter for Star Trek original series, always shown in the opening credits as D.C. Fontana. She also wrote some scripts under the pseudonym Michael Richards.