I’m currently juggling two secret identities as well as two
public identities, and for the record this gets confusing because these
identities are all secret from each other.
I don’t talk about my work here (seriously though, snore
fest). I don’t talk about my home life at work. And I have book contracts under
two different pen names. Talk about problems to have! :-)
Obviously, this blog is hosted by one of my pen names, and
my other pen name doesn’t have any internet love. No blog, no twitters, no
facebook. Which brings me to my dilemma:
I’ve seen that most writers have two names that they’re very
upfront about, the name they publish traditionally with, and the name they use
for their self published stuff. I’ve seen that system work pretty well, where
authors go through and very openly acknowledge both writing aspects to make it
easier for fans to find their other works.
But that’s not the case with my two names. They’re both
traditionally pubbed (though through a small press), but they are a bit night
and day. One is magic and explosions, and chase scenes, and the other is
awkward teenage moments leading to a rip-your-heart-out-break-your-soul tragedy―well, at least, that’s what I’m
aiming for, but I think I’m a bit wide of the mark.
But really one book is all:
So the question I pose to the gallery is what would you guys
do? Would you build up a whole separate online presence around the second pen
name, or would you tack the contemporary pen name onto an already existing
social media network?
If it were me, i'd combine and just use one name, to try and combine audiences and hopefully increase sales. Especially since, yeah, tonally, they're different, but we're not talking like YA contemp and adult sci-fi erotica or something, you know?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have the concentration to have two different on line identities.
ReplyDeleteYou could have two different tabs on this blog for the different books, and use your blog updates to talk about both aspects of your writing?
Talk to Elizabeth S. Craig. She publishes under two different names and keeps it all in one spot.
ReplyDeleteI like Annalisa's suggestion of two different tabs.
I would own them both in one place. Marketing is so hard with one persona, much less two. Everyone knows Norah Roberts is JD Robb, it's my understanding that she went with the different names because the genres are so different and she wanted readers not to have to guess which type they were grabbing. A friend of mine wrote a YA with a Christian slant and she's working on an adult book that will not be suitable for kids, so she is planning to "own" both books, but use different names so readers can easily distinguish.
ReplyDeleteI have a separate FB page for my NA pen name, and I hardly ever use it. Otherwise, they're pretty much connected.
ReplyDeleteUnless there is a strong reason to keep them separate. (Like, say one was MG and one was erotica or something) I'd go ahead and link them. People who like your writing might want to read them both, even if they are different genres. :)
Definitely agree that having both pennames under one site would be the best idea. Lots of people read a bunch of different things, and if having all your online presence in one spot means more people find your books, then awesome. ^_^
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