Top pen names and the famous people behind them

A pen name (nom de plume) is an assumed name an author uses instead of their real name. There are numerous reasons one uses a pen name. They may want to hide their real identity, want a fresh start, or can’t publish under their real name (common for female authors in the 19th century and earlier).

Many celebrities and famous authors also use pen names. Here, we’ll discuss some of them.

Pen names you didn’t know weren’t the author’s real name

Here’s a list of famous pen names you may have heard of but didn’t know they aren’t real:

Richard Bachman – Stephen King

Stephen King is the most popular horror writer. He’s published dozens of books, many of which received their movie adaptations. You may be surprised to learn that Stephen King used a pen name after he was already recognized as an exceptional author.

Namely, King’s publisher at the time believed that too much material could oversaturate the market and advised King not to publish more than one book per year. But King wrote a lot and wanted to find a way to publish his material, so he used a pen name: Richard Bachman.

Another reason King published under a pen name was to see how successful he would be without his public image. And he was successful; some of his books published under the pen name are Rage, The Running Man, and Thinner.

When his true identity was discovered, King pronounced Richard Bachman dead due to “cancer of the pseudonym.”

Mark Twain – Samuel Langhorne Clemens

Mark Twain was an American writer, publisher, lecturer, humorist, and entrepreneur. His most famous novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, along with A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and Pudd’nhead Wilson.

Many people are shocked to learn that Mark Twain is actually a pen name; the author’s real name is Samuel Clemens. Clemens created the pen name early on while working as a newspaperman in Nevada.

There are many speculations on why he used a pen name. Some say he wanted to build his identity as an author without being judged, while others believe he did it to protect his family.

Either way, using a pen name gave the author enough freedom to tackle any subject he wanted.

Clemens also used another pen name to publish his work: Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass.

Robert Galbraith – Joanne Rowling

The famous author of the Harry Potter series also used a pen name: Robert Galbraith. You may not be aware that even J. K. Rowling is a pen name.

Namely, the English author doesn’t have a middle name. But she took the first letter of her grandmother’s middle name (Kathleen) to create her pen name. She did this because publishers were afraid young boys won’t read books written by a female author.

Since Rowling is a dynamic writer, she ventured into different genres, including crime. She wanted to publish her stories as Robert Galbraith to avoid hype and high expectations.

The most popular work published under this pen name is the ongoing Cormoran Strike series (The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, Career of Evil, Lethal White, Troubled Blood, and The Ink Black Heart).

Mary Westmacott – Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie published dozens of detective novels. But did you know the famous British author also wrote erotica novels? When writing outside of her genre, Agatha Christie used a pen name: Mary Westmacott.

Mary was Christie’s middle name, and Westmacott was the last name of a distant relative. Some of the romance novels Christie published under her pen name are Giant’s Bread, The Burden, The Rose and the Yew Tree, and Unfinished Portrait.

Anne Rampling, A. N. Roquelaure – Anne Rice

Anne Rice was the popular author of gothic fiction, Christian literature, and erotic literature, best known for her series of novels, The Vampire Chronicles.

Rice was actually born Howard Allen Frances O’Brien, but she changed her own name to Anne. When she met her husband, Stan Rice, she took his last name and published the majority of her work under Anne Rice.

However, the author adopted several pen names throughout her career, including Anne Rampling and A. N. Roquelaure. She used these pen names to publish her erotic novels. For example, Rice released Exit to Eden and Belinda under Anne Rampling, and the Sleeping Beauty Trilogy under A. N. Roquelaure.

Many other famous people used pen names to publish their work. Some of them are:

  • Theodor Seuss Geisel (pen name Dr. Seuss)
  • Charlotte, Emily, & Anne Brontë (pen name Currer, Ellis, & Acton Bell)
  • Clive Staple Lewis – C. S. Lewis (pen names Clive Hamilton and N. W. Clerk)
  • Benjamin Franklin (pen name Silence Dogood)
  • Mary Ann Evans (pen name George Eliot)
  • Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (pen name Lewis Caroll)
  • Eric Blair (pen name George Orwell)
  • Ricardo Eliecer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (pen name Pablo Neruda)
  • Donald E. Westlake (pen name Richard Stark)
  • Nora Roberts (pen name J.D. Robb)
  • Gloria Jean Watkins (pen name Bell Hooks)
  • Erika Mitchell (pen name E. L. James)
  • Daniel Handler (pen name Lemony Snicket)
  • Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (pen name Lewis Carroll)

Find great books by world-famous authors on Speechify Audiobooks

If you want to enjoy audio versions of titles published under pen names, Speechify Audiobooks is a great option. This audiobook platform features over 60,000 titles from different genres, so you’ll never run out of interesting material to enjoy.

Plus, the platform offers options that make your experience even better. For example, you can set a sleep timer, adjust the playback speed, or add bookmarks.

Try Speechify Audiobooks now and explore its features.

FAQ

What is the most common reason for taking on a pen name?

Famous people usually take a pen name (or an alter ego of some sort) to hide their real identity.

Who wrote The Cat in the Hat?

The Cat in the Hat is a children’s book written by Dr. Seuss.

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

Dyslexia & Accessibility Advocate, CEO/Founder of Speechify Dyslexia & Accessibility Advocate, CEO/Founder of Speechify

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