Editing Pen name (section)

===Europe and the United States===
An author may use a pen name if their real name is likely to be confused with that of another author or other significant individual. For instance, in 1899 the British politician [[Winston Churchill]] wrote under the name [[Winston Churchill as writer|Winston S. Churchill]] to distinguish his writings from those of the [[Winston Churchill (novelist)|American novelist of the same name]].

An author may use a pen name implying a rank or title which they have never actually held. [[W. E. Johns|William Earl Johns]] wrote under the name "Capt. W. E. Johns" although the highest army rank he held was acting [[lieutenant]] and his highest air force rank was [[flying officer]].

Authors who regularly write in more than one genre may use different pen names for each, either in an attempt to conceal their true identity or even after their identity is known. [[Romance novel|Romance]] writer [[Nora Roberts]] writes [[erotic thriller]]s under the pen name J. D. Robb (such books were originally listed as by "J. D. Robb" and are now titled "Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb"); Scots writer [[Iain Banks]] wrote mainstream or literary fiction under his own name and [[science fiction]] under Iain M. Banks; [[Mark Twain|Samuel Langhorne Clemens]] used the aliases Mark Twain and Sieur Louis de Conte for different works. Similarly, an author who writes both fiction and non-fiction (such as the mathematician and fantasy writer Charles Dodgson, who wrote as [[Lewis Carroll]]) may use a pseudonym for fiction writing. Science fiction author [[Harry Turtledove]] has used the name H. N. Turtletaub for some historical novels he has written because he and his publisher felt that the presumed lower sales of those novels might hurt bookstore orders for the novels he writes under his name.

Even within the same genre, authors may use a pen name if their better-known name may lead potential readers to misunderstand the nature of the book. In children's [[picture book]]s, [[Dr. Seuss]] — itself a whimsical pen name for Theodor Geisel originating when he was banned from illustrating for [[Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern|his college humor magazine]] due to illegal drinking — used the name "Theo. LeSieg," "LeSieg" being "Geisel" spelled backward, on books he wrote but did not illustrate. Geisel's bestselling books had become associated with a very recognizable art style, which the LeSieg books lacked. Later in his career, Geisel did publish two books illustrated by others under his primary pen name, and following his death the LeSieg books have been reissued as by Dr. Seuss, "writing as Theo. LeSieg."

Occasionally, a pen name is employed to avoid overexposure. Prolific authors for [[pulp magazine]]s often had two and sometimes three short stories appearing in one issue of a magazine; the editor would create several fictitious author names to hide this from readers. [[Robert A. Heinlein]] wrote stories under the pseudonyms of Anson MacDonald (a combination of his middle name and his then-wife's maiden name) and Caleb Strong so that more of his works could be published in a single magazine. [[Stephen King]] published four novels under the name [[Richard Bachman]] because publishers did not feel the public would buy more than one novel per year from a single author.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stephenking.com/faq.html#1.6|title=StephenKing.com - Frequently Asked Questions}}</ref> Eventually, after critics found a large number of style similarities, publishers revealed Bachman's true identity.

Sometimes a pen name is used because an author believes that their name does not suit the genre they are writing in. Western novelist Pearl Gray dropped his first name and changed the spelling of his last name to  [[Zane Grey]] because he believed that his real name did not suit the Western genre. Romance novelist [[Angela Knight (author)|Angela Knight]] writes under that name instead of her actual name (Julie Woodcock) because of the [[double entendre]] of her surname in the context of that genre. [[Romain Gary]], who was a well-known French writer, decided in 1973 to write novels in a different style under the name [[Émile Ajar]] and even asked his cousin's son to impersonate Ajar; thus he received the [[Goncourt Prize|most prestigious French literary prize]] twice, which is forbidden by the prize rules. He revealed the affair in a book he sent his editor just before committing suicide in 1980.

A pen name may be shared by different writers to suggest continuity of authorship. Thus the ''[[Bessie Bunter]]'' series of English boarding school stories, initially written by the prolific [[Charles Hamilton (writer)|Charles Hamilton]] under the name Hilda Richards, was taken on by other authors who continued to use the same pen name.

In some forms of fiction, the pen name adopted is the name of the lead character, to suggest to the reader that the book is an autobiography of a real person. [[Daniel Handler]] used the pseudonym [[Lemony Snicket]] to present his ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'' books as memoirs by an acquaintance of the main characters. Some, however, do this to fit a certain theme. One example, [[Pseudonymous Bosch]], used his pen name just to expand the theme of secrecy in ''[[The Secret Series]]''.

Authors may occasionally choose pen names to appear in more favorable positions in [[bookshop]]s or [[Library|libraries]], to maximize visibility when placed on shelves that are conventionally arranged alphabetically moving horizontally, then upwards vertically.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/dec/07/writers-pen-names|title=How do writers choose pen names?|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=7 December 2011}}</ref>