Second Username?

[Nouh_Bdee]

I have written a handful of stories on this site, but the new story I'm working on is completely different. It's a Sci-Fi story with a lot more story than the short group sex stories I've written before. I want to come back to both styles, but I could easily imagine readers not being interested in both. Since favoriting an author puts every new story of theirs on your feed, I'm wondering if readers would find it helpful for me to create a new username for my new stories. Is that even allowed/encouraged at all on the site? I'd would appreciate peoples' thought on this.

Thank you,
Nouh

 

[SimonDoom]

It's definitely allowed, and there are very experienced authors here who do this. I have not, so I have no personal experience with doing this, but it does happen and some authors find it useful so their different personas can address different erotic niches.

 

[RejectReality]

You have to decide for yourself whether it's for you. I personally have three pen names. My original is now dedicated to a single setting in a fantasy world, this one is for short, stroke-heavy fare, and the third is whatever doesn't fit in the other two.

The major disadvantage is that you split your readership, even if there are obvious connections between the pen names. When you're in one name, the more frequent appearance of your name in the new list due everything being under one big tent can grow your readership base faster.

When I did a cross reference of followers between all my names, there was only about 20% crossover. Even assuming 50% crossover, and ignoring the advantages of being "out there" more frequently, that would put me on the verge of breaking into the top 50 most followed/favorited authors instead of creeping up on the top 100.

As to the advantages, that's very much a personal thing. You have to weigh what benefits you get out of it against that very strong disadvantage. It works for me, because I like the compartmentalization.

 

[KeithD]

I have other user names for stories in genres unrelated to each other. For the most part I don't link most of them for the very reason I have separate ones--to keep the reader bases separate. I do the same thing in the mainstream with pen names.

 

[Damoiselle]

I've thought about making a male sounding username to write in LW, but eh...Maybe if I were better at focusing and finishing stories.

 

[Salacious_Scribe]

I used to have several alts and I had few fans. IT was hard to get eyeballs on my stories.

About a year ago I decided to rebrand myself and credited and rewrote most of my stories and posted them under a single user name. I find I am getting more views, votes, and favs than before.

IMHO people read different categories. Keep one user name so those who like your stories can read them all.

EXCEPT for loving wives. Use an alt only for that category. Otherwise, some of those trolls will one bomb all your stories because they didn't like that cuckolding piece.

 

[lovecraft68]

Two ways to look at it.

On one hand if you're a romance author who decides they have a good incest idea I can see where you wouldn't want to turn off your fan base.

On the other hand, new authors in a category usually don't get as much attention as an established name so you're not going to do as well.

I bite the bullet and have everything under one name because I like to think my readership-or a new reader-is smart enough to look at the category of each story and know if they want to read it.

From time to time I'll get a comment on one of my more romantic stories(yes I have them) that "I can't wait to read the rest of your stories" and I'm thinking...oh, well, that's what you think."

 

[ElectricBlue]

I personally wouldn't do it, but I can see the strategies of those who do.

"House style EB" is what brings my followers, I think, so I don't see the point of diluting that. I don't find readers complaining when I place stories in different categories, but then, I don't think I attract single category zealots anyway.

 

[KeithD]

I personally wouldn't do it, but I can see the strategies of those that do.

"House style EB" is what brings my followers, I think, so I don't see the point of diluting that. I don't find readers complaining when I place stories in different categories, but then, I don't think I attract single category zealots anyway.

I posted some 150 stories in twenty categories other than GM under my sr71plt account, but, since I also posted 850 GB stories under that account, I occasionally got comments about posting other genres under that account and, even though 150 stories is more than most authors here post altogether, I continually got told on the discussion board that I only was a GM author. So I opened other accounts for non-GM stories and they don't get a GM-connection comments.

 

[roxymoves]

I use a couple pen names. Sometimes I share with people like close friends or lovers that I write erotica, and I'm ok with them knowing I write romance, mature, and erotic coupling, but I don't want them knowing I write in other categories. I can give them one pen name but not the other. If you want to maintain some discretion, this is one way to go.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I have thought about it, I did do it on another site and it worked out well. Here it hasn't really mattered as everything here is free. If you look at my sig you'll see that I have two links to another site that splits my stories in to Erotic and Non-Erotic under two different pen names.

 

[oggbashan]

I created a second name - jeanne_d_artois - to write stories from a female point of view.

Although I enjoyed writing as jeanne her stories are not popular but they have some fans.

On one April 1st I admitted that I was jeanne. Some then members of the AH were annoyed.

 

[NoJo]

I have three alts (well, two, this is the real me). They both have stories here

 

[Emirus]

Maybe if I were better at focusing and finishing stories.

If you find a way of focusing and finishing stories please let me know. My major problem is most of the time I can’t be bothered. I either feel like it or I don’t. Which is why my output is low. I can’t do what those who allocate time to write and get on with it can do, although I have tried.

 

[KeithD]

If you find a way of focusing and finishing stories please let me know. My major problem is most of the time I can’t be bothered. I either feel like it or I don’t. Which is why my output is low. I can’t do what those who allocate time to write and get on with it can do, although I have tried.

I think I always have a finish in mind (if nothing else) when I take a story out of the mulling phase into the actually writing phase. It's not always the finish that happens, but this could be a response to your question--that it's easier to press on to a draft completion if you have the end (an end) in sight before you let the story form enough to be writing it.

 

[Emirus]

I think I always have a finish in mind (if nothing else) when I take a story out of the mulling phase into the actually writing phase. It's not always the finish that happens, but this could be a response to your question--that's it's easier to press on to a draft completion if you have the end (an end) in sight before you let the story form enough to be writing it.

I always know where the story is going. The problem is convincing myself to sit down and get there.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Thank you

Thank you, everyone, for your input. I think I’m going to just use the one username. I really appreciate all the different perspectives, though

Nouh

 

[TxRad]

After 259 submissions, I think it is a little late to worry about crossing readers up.

In mainstream I write under four pen names. That wasn't my idea but my publishers.