Like the title says, imagine you're in a situation where you need a pseudonym (for publishing, not because you're being taken into witness protection).

Which name do you choose, and why? Hard mode: no dick jokes.

 

See I've put some thought into this. I figured that I would actually use the name I've given for my fake ids over the years - create a paper trail for that person so when I inevitably commit some crime I have a full life story to fall back on including published works...

But I also happen to be asian and I get the sense that fantasy novels might sell better if people thought I were white for some reason. Now I'm not saying that people are racist or anything - I'm saying that I am. The number of good asian fantasy writers I know? 0. The number of good white fantasy writers I know? Well there are at least a few, innit.

 

Scott Press

But really, a name generator is a perfectly good idea. Hypothetically, I wouldn't want someone googling me and finding my Funny Pics posts lol

 

Impeccable logic @Lungs. Also, whilst I agree a pen name generator would be the ideal choice, that is really playing on easy mode. My own method consists of taking well-known authors' pseudonyms and using their real name as your own. Especially if they are dead and can't complain . For instance, Mary Evans (for George Eliot) or Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). My favourite though, and one I have used in the past is Eric Blair, for my main man George Orwell.

 

Probably something using my middle name, which would serve equally well as a first or surname. And then probably something referential, to see how many people picked up on it.

 

I've played around with anagrams of my name and I've been pretty satisfied with those mostly, I'd probably still try and come up with a cool name on my own though.

 

I like puns

Thomas Oroville Morrow

T O Morrow or T Morrow is funny.

Sue D Nimh is a little on the nose but eh

Noelle V. Wright, kinda like novel write if you squint and turn your head.

I have a few written down on a scratch pad somewhere in this heap. I'll get back to you with them.

 

Middle name + first pet, right?

Or is that how to make stripper a name?

In reality, like Shinysavage, I'd use my middle name and maybe alter another family name.

 

For realz, I'd just come up with a random name (not a pun or anything like that) that doesn't sound retarded and go with that. If I'm going for a pseudonym, I don't want it to be something clever that exposes it as a pseudonym right away.

 

Wow, I actually really like the sound of my pseudonym based on that.

Spoiler

Michael Trigger

 

Richard Stallion, aka Dick Stallion.

 

Author of erotica

 

Well that gives me two options.

Spoiler

Alexander Michael, or Alexander Greene.

 

I was going to say Greene might be too similar to John Green and then I googled it and his middle name is Michael, lol.

I'd say the second with Greene still has a better flow though.

 

Maybe this is me being overly paranoid, but I've assumed for a while that these sorts of questions are information digging, as first pet is often a security question.

It would make a good psuedonym in general though, because each component is a name by itself, so should still sound like one when mushed together.

 

Same situation as @Lungs in that I'm Asian and doubt many people would buy the my kind of books from an Asian writer. You don't necessarily need a name that "pops" but ideally one that rolls off the tongue well and people remember. For SEO reasons, you also want it to be kind of unique so that when people Google the name they don't end up on someone else's page.