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I'm a self-published author, who is going to get a traditional publishing contract. They say it's my choice, but I have a doubt.

I have published a thriller novel, two mystery short stories, and also YA and some children short stories. If I'm going to write in different genres like thriller, sci-fi, also screenplays, and do this in... let's say, in a different format. do I need to get another name for that?

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  • Welcome to writing.se! Take the tour and visit the help center when you get a chance. This is a good first question but may have already been asked. Do the answers on why shouldn't I use a pen name? not answer the question for you? If not please clarify what your issue is. Thanks for participating and happy writing!
    – linksassin
    Mar 1, 2019 at 7:12
  • Possible duplicate of Why shouldn't I use a pen name?
    – linksassin
    Mar 1, 2019 at 7:12
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    I'm not seeing this as a duplicate. The other question is about someone who loves their pseudonym and wants to use it. This question is about genre and if s/he has to use a pen name.
    – Cyn
    Mar 1, 2019 at 15:16

2 Answers 2

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First of all, congratulations! If your publisher says it's up to you, then they're not seeing any red flags that would make a pen name advisable.

Lots of adults write for both children and adults and in different genres. While it can be hard to build a following for every genre, having a pen name will not help that because you'll be starting from scratch every time. With your real name, at least you'll have the opportunity to draw in some readers who liked your other books.

Most people advise not to use the same name for erotica as for children's books, but if you're just writing regular adult fiction, it shouldn't be a problem. Judy Blume is an example of a popular author who is famous for both YA and adult fiction.

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I think it totally depends on whether you want your real name to be known for a specific genre or not.

If you're comfortable with writing multiple genres, and being known for those variety of topics, then I can't see a reason of using a pseudonym.

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