Why have authors throughout history gone to such lengths to hide their names?

Nom de plume. Pseudonym. Pen name.

Why have authors throughout history gone to such lengths to hide their names, mask their identities, or create alternative personas for themselves?

It turns out there are multiple reasons, ranging from the personal to the political.

When we speak of pseudonyms, we normally think of female authors choosing to write under male pen names for their books to be accepted for publishing and to find a readership for their work. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, we have prominent examples such as the Bronte sisters: Charlotte, Emily and Anne writing as Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Or George Eliot, famous for writing Middlemarch. Although the Bronte sisters regained their identities posthumously, very few recognise Eliot’s real name, Mary Anne Evans, and her books continue to be published under the pseudonym.

While the bias against female writers is not what it used to be and, in fact, as the majority of the readers in the world now tend to be women, in a strange reversal of fate, being a female author may even gain you more readers. The reality is a bit more complex and the gender mix varies across genres. Depending on the genre, and to appeal to a wider demographic, both male and female writers — from SJ Watson, KJ Howe, JP Delaney, to AJ Finn — may choose a pseudonym or initials to disguise their gender.

This dynamic is also apparent in children’s books, especially authors writing for ‘middle grade’ ages of 8-12 where boys don’t want to be seen reading anything ‘girly’. JK Rowling’s publisher advised her to publish Harry Potter under her initials to appeal to both boys and girls. Other famous children’s writers using their initials are MG Leonard, RJ Palacio and RL Stine, to name a few.

Interestingly, JK Rowling also chose a pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, when she branched off into the world of adult fiction. However, the pen name did not stay anonymous for long.

On the Robert Galbraith website, she shares the reasons for wanting to do this. “I really wanted to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback.” While answering why she chose a male pseudonym, JK Rowling says, “I certainly wanted to take my writing persona as far away as possible from me, so a male pseudonym seemed a good idea.”