Author Names Crossing Genres
Happy release day to Nalini Singh for her latest release Blaze of Memory! And don’t forget Nalini also has an urban fantasy coming up in February, Archangel’s Kiss, which got me thinking about authors using one pen name for more than one genre (Ilona’s wonderfully unclassifiable On the Edge comes to mind too. 
). Sometimes using a different pen name isn’t up to the author…the author sells a new series to a different publisher and the publisher wants her to take on a new pen name. At least that seems to have been the case in the past. If an author moved from writing historical romance to say…contemporary romance or romantic suspense, she’d change her pen name, but lately I’m seeing an interesting trend. Authors are selling across several genres and they’re keeping the same pen name, even when they sell young adult.
I wonder if this trend has more to do with author name popularity or if it has to do with the genres beginning to blend more and more. For instance, we’ve seen a blending of romance and romantic suspense. We’ve also seen a blending of paranormal romance and urban fantasy…and based on the comments from my post a while back on PNR and UF, folks have a differing opinion as to what makes a PNR vs UF to them. Which is totally cool that we all see it slightly different, IMO. And now with so many young adult stories incorporating edgy themes, romance and even UF settings, the blending is happening even more. So it makes sense to me that the pen name might remain the same.
How do you feel about this trend? Would you follow your favorite author no matter what genre she writes in? Or would you want the pen name to clue you in to the fact this latest story might be slightly different from her past stories?
I’m not much on YA…I’ve got a few I plan to read, but I’m just not that into it, so I doubt I’d follow many of my faves if they tried out YA.
But as far as UF goes? Oh, yes. I love UF, and I love it even more when a romance writer does UF, if they do it well. It’s like having my cake and eating it, too….blending two of my fave genres.
I actually thought that about YA too, until I tried a few and found I really enjoyed the stories.
As for UF and PNR…I love it when a PNR author writes UF and does it well. That’s how I felt about Patricia Briggs writing her Alpha and Omega books. YEY!
Kim Harrison comes to mind, when you are talking about genre. She’s done a YA under the same pen name, but she also has some romance under a different name. But I agree the lines are blurring on genres. I like an author’s writing style. I tend to follow an author not the genre. So maybe that is why it is more common now to see the same name across genre. Pull fans from a different base.
I agree, I’ve always felt it was writing style that mattered most…that the author’s voice would flow through the story no matter the genre.
Once I find an author that I like I would definately read anything new by her/him, you never know til you try it out
Exactly!
Oh, good topic. I would normally say I would follow the author, but there are Lisa Kleypas contemporaries and I am kind of wary of them. I can suspend my disbelief completely for an HP and even for a historical, because they are so absurd, but a contemporary has to be very believable for me to buy it.
So it’s easier for you to suspend disbelief with genres other than contemporary? Is it because you feel the scenarios in contemporary stories feel more contrived somehow? Just curious.
My vote is that I prefer to see the pen name stay the same even across genres. I generally know what books I will and won’t read even by the same author. It’s the voice and tone that resonates with me, rather than the exact content.
With the information obtainable on the ‘net, it almost doesn’t make sense to change pen names anyway, as most folks know who really wrote the book in spite the moniker disguise.
Hmmm, I hadn’t thought about the net changing the game plan a bit. Maybe that’s part of it too.
usually when I find I like the book I’ve just read (and I didn’t know anything written by its author before) I go and check if I might like other books written by him or her (I don’t care about the genre…) but that doesn’t have to mean that I just go and buy every book he/she wrote
This is why I think the name should stay the same if possible or at least a similar variation of the original pen name so the reader knows that it’s the same author but writing in a different genre.
I enjoy so many genres, it doesn’t bother me if an author tries different ones and I prefer the author keep his or her name; I may or may not like the new genre tried but because it’s an author I know I will give it a shot.
I agree it’s much harder to know about the new book if the name changes.
I, personally, like it when an author keeps their name while switching genres. Less confusing for me (and yes, I’m easily confused lol.
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I’m not a big YA fan. Even if some of my favorite writers are now taking a dip in that particular pool, that doesn’t make me more inclined to read it. I’ve tried enough YA to know that it just doesn’t do it for me. Even if it’s from an author I love. I love UF, and there’s always room for PNR . And if the two are mixed together and done well, that’s an extra bonus.
So, I guess, in my case, it’s more about the content than the actual name. *shrug*
That’s true. And even if the name stays the same the book would be house in the YA section if it’s a YA.
I prefer that they keep their pen names so I can easily find what else they’ve written. I’m a huge glommer, but very lazy.
But I also want the books correctly classified. I hate it when I buy a book by an author that I know from one genre, and the next book I pick up looks like it is another book in that genre but then turns out to be something else.
To be honest, I mostly get pissy when a romance writer I adore writes a new book and that new book is packaged and blurbed like a romance, but then I read it and don’t get my HEA. My >:-< angry face comes into play. I love urban fantasy, but I have to go in without my HEA expectation.
It's all about reader expectations. I expect (and accept) different things depending on the genre. If I like a writer's voice, I will definitely give a different genre a try. Just make sure it's clear that it's a different genre and I'm good.
If it’s a favorite author, I usually will follow to other genres. I’ll at least try the new genre. I don’t really have a preference on pen names though I do like some kind of genre signal to guide my expectations.
Pen names came up in the comments on Dear Author the other day. Someone didn’t know that Ann Aguirre writes as Ava Gray. She said this: “It’s for branding. This way, if you grab an Ava Gray book you know it’s a romance. If you pick up Ann Aguirre, it’ll be SF, UF, or YA. You should be able to tell which by shelving and blurb. It’s also to help my male readers, so they don’t accidentally wind up with a romance novel; this way, if they buy it, it has to be on purpose, not because they saw a book with my name on it in the New Paperbacks rack. And that separation is even more crucial because of my YA material, which will also be coming out under Ann Aguirre.”
Ah, I didn’t know it was recently mentioned on DA. That makes total sense for Ann though.
I like when an author uses the same name no matter the genre, easier for me to realize they have a new book out. I’m not real big on YA but then again I haven’t really read any so I would probably give it a chance if a favorite author wrote one.
There’s some good YA books out there for sure.
As a reader, I prefer authors keep the same name throughout. Tami Hoag & Cathrine Coulter are two that come to mind right away – both started in romance and moved to suspense, but had they not used the same name for both, I never would have “discovered” the romance books (I started reading suspense with both of them). Honestly, I’m too lazy most of the time to go hunting for whatever pen names a new “favorite” author might have used, but I read across many genres, so it would be nice to know what else they’ve written, regardless of genre. A common name would take care of that.
As a writer (unpubbed), I have mixed feelings. Obviously I could never publish erotica under my own name while still holding a day job, but have no problem with romance. Overall, I’d prefer to have my own name on everything I write, but I’ll defer to whoever publishes my work for the final decision.
Ooh, Tami Hoag. I discovered her after she became big in suspense and found my absolute favorite book by her Lucky’s Lady! I thought it was the perfect blend of romance and suspense. I think this book was when she was transitioning from romance to suspense.
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I would have no idea if the author had multiple pen names, I’d be looking for the name on the cover. I’ve definitely picked up the book from one of my favorite authors in a different genre
That’s the hard part. If the name is totally different…how would you know.
I feel that when I pick up and book, and the person has changed their name on it even to a pen name, I’m not quite on an even keel with that person. A vague kind of uneasiness. When I find out an already published author has changed their pen name *again* I feel lied to. And I know its all branding but I still don’t like it. When first I found out it’s not always their ‘real’ name authors write under, I thought, what, are they ashamed of what they write? Are they Clark Kent by day, and SuperAuthor by night?
Maybe its because an author puts a lot of themselves into a book; maybe its because I put a lot of emotional investment into a book. I’m not sure.
So, no, I don’t like multiple pen names. It doesn’t matter if you cross over genres. Many readers cross over genres. I own, for example, works by David Eddings, Anne Bishop, Charlaine Harris, Joe Abercrombie, Mercedes Lackey, Sue Grafton, Patricia Cornwell, and John Grishom. Some comics, too.
Those are my two cents worth. Do with them what you will.
And Isobelle Carmody, YA Australian author. And Richelle Mead’s works – I never would have read the Vampire Academy series if I hadn’t know it was her writing them.
For me I will follow authors across genres and at least give them a try. If they have different pen names for different genres that is also fine but I am probably more willing to try the unknown author if I find out that the same person wrote them. They have gained my trust in one area so I am willing to give them that same trust in another. I have also fond that even within the same genre I might not like their “voice” in a certain series and love it in another.
I don’t mind what name an author uses, it just makes it easier to find their books if they’re all under one name.
Would I read all of an author’s books regardless of genre? That actually depends on the author. I will read all of Jayne Anne Krentz’s books (Jayne Castle, Amanda Quick), but I an not very impressed with Nora Roberts writing as JD Robb.
Also am not into YA so I tend not to read any of my fave authors YA books.
I would give it a try if it’s one of my fav authors!!
What I don’t get is, why write with a different pen name if everyone knows it? where’s the sense in that? e.g. nora roberts / JD Robb. weird.
It has been suggested elsewhere (rasfw) that one possible reason for using a different pen name when foraying into another genre (or starting a new series) is the lack of commercial success in an existing body of work. Wiping the slate clean, as it were.