Did you publish under your real name or did u create a pseudonym, if you did create one how did this effect publishing .
Great question!
I did not use a pseudonym! At first, I really did want to use a pseudonym. But my writing mentor advised against it for a few couple of really good reasons. Keep in mind, the following advise is if you want to write professionally :)
There are more people willing to support you than you think.
It might not seem like it, but there are people in your life who are more willing to support you than you think. When I first started writing, I kept it a secret from everyone, including my family. (Especially this blog). If you're going to write professionally, you need people to follow your writing. Someone has to buy your books. The people who already know you want to help out. They want to help, even if you don't believe that.
The people who helped me start the most were the people I'd met in passing who I wasn't in frequent contact with. They wanted to support me, but wouldn't have been able to if I hadn't published under my legal name because they simply wouldn't have known it was me!
2. The Legality
(For legal reasons I am not a lawyer. The following advise is not real legal counsel, it's just want I've found.)
When you become a professional author, it's usually advised to create an LLC for all your book proceeds. There are a lot of different things that go into creating an LLC, a business bank account, etc.
All of this is much, much, easier using your real name.
3. What's the point other than to sound cool?
If you're using a pseudonym to hide your identity, I'm going to be honest with you. If someone's trying to find you, using a pseudonym isn't actually going to be much help. If someone wants to find you and you have any online presence, there are ways for them to find you.
All in all, I found it much easier to use my real name, and encourage you to as well! Of course there are reasons to use a pseudonym, and it's not impossible. :) You know your situation best, so do what works for you!
Happy Writing!
