To Pen name or Not?

[JinkiesFarie]

I was wondering if anyone could give me feedback on this? I need an outside source! Ok, so recently I've published with Smashwords to collect $ as I have no job. I published under my real name, but I am thinking maybe it was a bad choice. What if that will prevent people from hiring me? I mean shit, my plans for after college was to go into law enforcement and what if this hold me back? BUT, I should also point out that even if I did use a pen name, Smashwords requires your real name for tax purposes, so I could write this off, etc. So either way, my future employer would be all hey look she writes porn....wait what?! One where I'm semi-anonymous but can it still will most likely show up in my background check or totally out there. Does anyone know if an employer can hold this against a potential employee? Idk, I've only ever had one job. *sigh*


Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I have made my decision.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

If youre talented youll be hired regardless of what crimes you commit. If you solve problems and make your boss money she cant care less who you killed.

 

[LordMhoram]

I was wondering if anyone could give me feedback on this? I need an outside source! Ok, so recently I've published with Smashwords to collect $ as I have no job. I published under my real name, but I am thinking maybe it was a bad choice. What if that will prevent people from hiring me? I mean shit, my plans for after college was to go into law enforcement and what if this hold me back? BUT, I should also point out that even if I did use a pen name, Smashwords requires your real name for tax purposes, so I could write this off, etc. So either way, my future employer would be all hey look she writes porn....wait what?! One where I'm semi-anonymous but can it still will most likely show up in my background check or totally out there. Does anyone know if an employer can hold this against a potential employee? Idk, I've only ever had one job. *sigh*

Unless you have a very unusual name, chances are good there are other people in the world with your name. I searched for my name once and found all sorts of stuff that had nothing to do with me.

Might not be as bad as you think, though I'd use a nom de plume from now on if I were you.

 

[LordMhoram]

If youre talented youll be hired regardless of what crimes you commit. If you solve problems and make your boss money she cant care less who you killed.

*chuckling* In which perfect world?

 

[jomar]

I'd err on the side of caution and use a pen name.

I remember a case somewhere (Fla?) where a teacher got a lot of heat, even fired I think, when the board found out she wrote smut.

 

[lovecraft68]

Yes I would use a pen name. As far as SW getting your real name for tax purposes. That is harmless, no one else can see that.

I am surprised you cannot find a job in Law enforcement, up here on the east coast there always seems to be a demand.

 

[PennLady]

I use a pen name for a few reasons, primarily privacy and security, although I know it wouldn't be that hard to figure out my real name, if someone really wanted to. Still, I like having that layer there.

As for whether it would prevent you from getting a job in law enforcement, I have no idea. I imagine it would depend on a lot of things, perhaps mainly whether it would reflect badly on the department you'd work for. I've seen, for example, stories about cops and firefighters who lost their jobs or came close after posing for sexy pictures. But that involves physical likenesses, etc. Best thing is probably to research it, or ask an attorney who deals in employment law.

 

[sr71plt]

I pen name all of my erotica. I even shield my true name from my publishers of erotica. My royalties go through a series of cutouts.

I even pen name my mainstream e-books from my true name print books. The genres are different.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Please--for your privacy, for your family's sake, for the sake of your unborn children--use a pen name.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

FYI

Many LE agencies require applicants to list and detail EVERY paid employment from high school on. Many require polygraph tests, and ask for confirmation of application data during the test.

 

[TE999]

Definitely use a nom de plume. There are overwhelming numbers of intolerant and judgmental people out there and a lot of them do the hiring.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Why would you use your real name? Do you really think that someday you'll want to brag about that stuff?

 

[sr71plt]

Speaking of, I understand that Steven Saylor started off writing GM porn. If anyone knows what pen name he used for that I'd like to know what it was.

 

[SydneyBlake]

I'd err on the side of caution and use a pen name.

I remember a case somewhere (Fla?) where a teacher got a lot of heat, even fired I think, when the board found out she wrote smut.

The author was Judy Mays, and she was in Pennsylvania. Here's the story. Yeah, she lost her job over this. I'd never heard of her, but I bought one of her ebooks after the news broke. Haven't read it yet, but I liked the cover art.

 

[estragon]

Absolutely use a pen-name, or several. "The evil men do lives after them", as someone said B.G. (Before Google). And that goes double for ladies. Big Brother is alive and well, and the Internet is his natural habitat.

 

[EdwardMidweston]

I was wondering if anyone could give me feedback on this? I need an outside source! Ok, so recently I've published with Smashwords to collect $ as I have no job. I published under my real name, but I am thinking maybe it was a bad choice. What if that will prevent people from hiring me? I mean shit, my plans for after college was to go into law enforcement and what if this hold me back? BUT, I should also point out that even if I did use a pen name, Smashwords requires your real name for tax purposes, so I could write this off, etc. So either way, my future employer would be all hey look she writes porn....wait what?! One where I'm semi-anonymous but can it still will most likely show up in my background check or totally out there. Does anyone know if an employer can hold this against a potential employee? Idk, I've only ever had one job. *sigh*

First off, please excuse this intrusion by someone who has posted nothing at Lit thus far, but I think I can shed some light on the question--based on years spent working for some of the largest publishers.

First ioff, I agree 100% with those who suggest a pen name for your erotica. Nearly all potential employers run background checks these days, and so do an amazing number of snoopy neighbors, family members, co-workers etc. Some won't care less that you've written one of "those" books, but there are still uptight bluenoses who'll cause you as much grief as possible. Also, if you ever decide to write something more mainstream, you may find publicationcomplicated by earlier X-rated works.

To answer your other question, employers CAN legally hold your x-rated publications against you. They can also hold it against you if they don't like the way you laugh, your choice of shoes, or whether you prefer smooth or chunky peanut butter. They can discriminate according to any issue that isn't protected by law--e.g. race, religion, etc. Some probably won't care what you've writtem but some probably will. Playing it safe makes sense in these times, which uis why so many people at Lit are reluctant to use their real names or show their faces in photos.

What to do about the book that's already published. Unless your name is extraordinarily unique, you could alwaysplay dumb and pretend you know nothing about the book or the author who "shares your name." It's very probable that hundreds of other people do, in fact, have the same name.

The fact that Smashwords (or any other publisher)requires your real name is neither surprising nor a factor in your quandry. You can supply a publisher with your true name and address--for legal/accounting/tax or other reasons) and still publish your books under a pen name. Stick your real name and address at the upper left corner of the title page (or follow whatever convention any given publisher prefers) and then use your nom de plume in the byline (normally right below the book's title.) It's a good idea as well to contact the publisher in a brief letter, explaining that you want your pen name used on the book and in all advertising. 99 publishers out of 100--whether porn or mainstream--will honor this request. They'll make checks payable to your real name, but publish under your pen name.

The only real complication comes from copyright, but there are "end runs" around this as well. If you trust your publisher (and you probably shouldn't be dealing with them if you don't) you canrequest that your book be copyrighted in their name. In the unlikely event they refuse, there are mechanisms to supply the U.S. Copyright Office with your biographical data but still have the copyright issued under your pen name. This makes some extra paperwork but you'll find info on the U.S. Copyright Office's website.

I hope some of this helps.

 

[itismeinnz]

Everyone else has probably summed it up pretty well, but something else that I've read examples of... writers later trying to establish credibility in the literary genre, who then find old erotic work that is easily associated with them to be a monkey on their back. I know, I am not saying erotica is not in itself "serious" literature, but not everyone sees it that way.

 

[Firebrain]

I speak as somebody who has self-pubbed to Smash, so I don't mean to be hypocritical; however, I'd use a pen-name here for any kind of work because self-published on Smash does usually mean "badly edited and terrible cover art." (Go see for yourself). Why the hell would you want your real name on that?! Make money, by all means...but have some standards

 

[bronzeage]

When I do a search on my real name, 4 other people appear. Three are in prison and the other is in bankruptcy. If an employer ever connects my pen name to me, they'll consider themselves fortunate to have the one who writes dirty stories.

 

[TxRad]

When I do a search on my real name, 4 other people appear. Three are in prison and the other is in bankruptcy. If an employer ever connects my pen name to me, they'll consider themselves fortunate to have the one who writes dirty stories.

Mine comes back as two people. One is a dirty old man that writes porn and the other is a gay guy in Cleveland. Who the hell wants to live in Cleveland?

 

[rgraham666]

I've done all my publishing under my own name. I'm disabled so I'll never work again. Thus an employer won't ever have to do a background check on me.

 

[EdwardMidweston]

Mine comes back as two people. One is a dirty old man that writes porn and the other is a gay guy in Cleveland. Who the hell wants to live in Cleveland?

One of my namesakes (now in prison) had felony warrants outstanding in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as federal warrants for interstate flight. I had cops surrounding my house more than once before they realized I didn't match the physical description.

Still, even prison is probably better than living in Cleveland.
(I'd apologize to the Clevelanders, but anyone who lives there must have a sense of humor.)