Bookish: HE'S RETURNED AS A DOG -

Do you care whether a writer
you read is using a pen name?

Lately on the Internet many nearly illiterate new surfers have been raising a ruckus about the use of pen names.

Well, "Mark Twain" was a pen name. And many other now-famous writers have used pen names. But many of today's Internet surfers have never heard of any of them anyway.

When contemporary writers use pen names it is often more of a branding issue than a privacy issue. For example, if a writer who usually writes Mysteries wants to try writing a SciFi, he may opt for an alternate identity to venture into the latter genre.

Sarah Weinman writes about a Suspense author
who has now returned as a dog named Chet:

"red herring? That was new.
The truth is, I'm not a seafood fan."

Peter Abrahams seems to have a
surprising new hit on his hands as Spencer Quinn.

:: The Daily Beast ::

...