Pen Names and Why Writers Use Them Essay Example

Some of the best writers of literature use pen names to secure their real names. Many famous writers use pen names such as Mark Twain (who has the alias of Samuel Clemons) and J.K. Rowling (who has the aliases of Joanne Rowling and her other pen name Robert Gailbraith). Writers use pen names to keep from discouraging readers, embarrassing their families, and to secretly publish a book. 

To kick-off, writers like J.K. Rowling use pen names so that their real names do not discourage readers. “Rowling’s publishers feared that young boys- the presumed audience of the Harry Potter series- wouldn't take the book seriously if they knew it was written by a woman. So, Joanne Rowling became J.K. Rowling” (Bennet, paragraph 4). This supports that some authors use pen names to keep from discouraging readers because that is exactly why Rowling adopted her pen name. “Charles Dodgson, a noted mathematician, used the name Lewis Carroll to write fantasy works such as Alice in Wonderland” (Bennet, paragraph 1). This emphasizes that some writers use pen names because they do not want to discourage readers since people might feel discouraged if they knew he was a mathematician. J.K. Rowling and Lewis Carroll were pen names used to avoid readers getting discouraged however authors also use pen names to avoid embarrassment. 

Another reason Writers use pen names is to avoid embarrassing their families. “Eric Blair, author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, adopted the name George Orwell because he feared his early work would embarrass his family” (Bennet, paragraph 1). This proves that writers use pen names to avoid embarrassment because George Orwell and many other writers have used pen names to prevent embarrassment.