# How long can a famous pseudonym last without revealing its author?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 31, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355 "2016-07-31T03:59:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/1 "2016-07-31T03:59:45Z")
A couple of questions about the practice of using pseudonyms in literature:
1. Is it plausible that an author could reach Harry Potter levels of success while still staying hidden under a pen name, or is that kind of secrecy just impossible to hold together at that level of notoriety?
2. Generally, when it is known who a pseudonym is (James Herriot is the pen name of Alfred Wight, for instance,) is it more common that the author intentionally wanted to reveal his/her identity, or rather that the identity was leaked out against his/her will? I know that Robert Galbraith, a pen name of J.K. Rowling’s, was revealed against her wishes. (Yes, J.K. is itself a pen name.)
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/2 "2016-07-31T04:07:33Z")
The real identity of B. Traven is still a mystery. It’s widely believed that a man known as Ret Marut was B. Traven. But it’s never been proven that Marut was Traven and it’s widely suspected that Ret Marut was itself an assumed name.
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### Author:  [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/3 "2016-07-31T09:05:25Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> A couple of questions about the practice of using pseudonyms in literature:
>
> 1. Is it plausible that an author could reach Harry Potter levels of success while still staying hidden under a pen name, or is that kind of secrecy just impossible to hold together at that level of notoriety?
Can you have huge readership under a pen name? Sure.
But you will make a lot more money and sell even more books if you put a persona behind the name, even if the persona itself is fake.
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### Author:  [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/4 "2016-07-31T09:42:11Z")
Who doesn’t love a bit of mystery?
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/5 "2016-07-31T10:52:20Z")
As per wikipedia, five of Trevanian’s novels sold over a million copies each over the course of eleven years – one of which made it to the big screen, as a Clint Eastwood movie – before his publisher eventually spilled the beans.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/6 "2016-07-31T11:20:14Z")
**Elena Ferrante** is the pseudonym of an author who has achieved worldwide acclaim and huge sales for her _Neapolitan Series_. Her real identity remains a secret.
ETA: [Elena Ferrante - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Ferrante)
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/7 "2016-07-31T12:30:18Z")
> [@](#):
>
> (Yes, J.K. is itself a pen name.)
Eh, not exactly. While she doesn’t go by “J. K.” in her everyday life, those are her initials. Though it is true that part of the reason she chose to use her initials was to mask her gender, as she was afraid that a book by a woman wouldn’t sell as well.
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### Author:  [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/8 "2016-07-31T13:08:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Eh, not exactly. While she doesn’t go by “J. K.” in her everyday life, those are her initials. Though it is true that part of the reason she chose to use her initials was to mask her gender, as she was afraid that a book by a woman wouldn’t sell as well.
The ‘K’ was adopted as a pen… uhh… initial. In reality, Ms Rowling had no middle name when her first book was published, though she has since adopted a middle name to match the initial.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/9 "2016-07-31T13:38:16Z")
Depends on what you mean. I know several pen names whose owners are not known to the general public but are known within the field.
As far as #2 is concerned, there are many reasons why authors use pen names, so there are all different attitudes. Some pretty much admit they’re using one (S. P. Somtow was used by Somtow P. Suchuritkul); others remained secret for years (Robert Jordan, James Tiptree, Jr.).
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### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/10 "2016-07-31T13:45:10Z")
Being a fan of the 87th Precinct series I was aware that Ed McBain was a pen name for Evan Hunter of _Blackboard Jungle_ fame. I did not find out that Evan Hunter was in turn, a pen name (among others) for one [Salvatore Lombino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_McBain) until after his death.
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/11 "2016-07-31T14:00:01Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> others remained secret for years (Robert Jordan, James Tiptree, Jr.).
Wasn’t Raccoona Sheldon known at the time to be a pen name for James Tiptree Jr.–meaning she used her real surname as a pen name for a pen name?
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### Author:  [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/12 "2016-07-31T14:16:35Z")
_The Book With No Name_ is ten years old now and the writers name is still not known publicly. Not the level of the _Harry Potter_ series, but pretty a well known book.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/13 "2016-07-31T14:53:03Z")
> [@DesertDog](#):
>
> Being a fan of the 87th Precinct series I was aware that Ed McBain was a pen name for Evan Hunter of _Blackboard Jungle_ fame. I did not find out that Evan Hunter was in turn, a pen name (among others) for one [Salvatore Lombino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_McBain) until after his death.
Not really. Lombino legally changed his name to Evan Hunter in 1952.
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### Author:  [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/14 "2016-07-31T15:22:16Z")
Richard Bachman was outed as Stephen King in fairly short order. As was “Primary Colors” author Anonymous.
Some pen names aren’t really meant to stand up to scrutiny. Robert Heinlein wrote as “Anson McDonald” but that was so he could have multiple stories in a single issue of a magazine.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/15 "2016-07-31T18:38:25Z")
The Evan Hunter case is even more interesting, in that he’s written at least one book (_Candyland_) co-authored with Ed McBain.
But then again, I’ve also seen videos for sale billed as co-starring Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/16 "2016-07-31T18:45:21Z")
> [@E-DUB](#):
>
> Richard Bachman was outed as Stephen King in fairly short order.
Looks like he kept it up for eight years before a bookstore clerk figured it out, which seems pretty solid – and King was apparently writing MISERY as Bachman at the time, which, compared to what he’d done before, could’ve been the blockbuster.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/17 "2016-07-31T18:54:43Z")
To get back to the OP, I’d say that today it’s impossible for a Rowling-level author to maintain a pseudonym for very long. Too many people will being vying to out him or her.
Most of the examples here, like Bachman and Galbraith, were of the reverse order: the bestselling author wanted to see if the name sold itself or the quality. The answer was the name. The pseudonymous books got good reviews but sold in tiny numbers. No one cared enough about them to make an effort to see who they might really be.
When enough people care, it’s over.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/18 "2016-07-31T19:11:34Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#):
>
> Wasn’t Raccoona Sheldon known at the time to be a pen name for James Tiptree Jr.–meaning she used her real surname as a pen name for a pen name?
IIRC, no one knew Tiptree’s real name (which led to the embarrassment of Robert Silverberg saying the he could tell Tiptree was a man from the prose). The Sheldon identity was discovered about the same time Tiptree’s real name was known.
It actually could have gone on indefinitely if the biography Tiptree used hadn’t been real.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/19 "2016-07-31T19:15:49Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> To get back to the OP, I’d say that today it’s impossible for a Rowling-level author to maintain a pseudonym for very long. Too many people will being vying to out him or her.
>
> Most of the examples here, like Bachman and Galbraith, were of the reverse order: the bestselling author wanted to see if the name sold itself or the quality. The answer was the name. The pseudonymous books got good reviews but sold in tiny numbers. No one cared enough about them to make an effort to see who they might really be.
>
> When enough people care, it’s over.
Elena Ferrante is an internationally best selling author who has pulled it off so far. Near as I can tell she is HUGE globally and the U.S. Is late to the game.
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### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-famous-pseudonym-last-without-revealing-its-author/761355/20 "2016-07-31T19:28:11Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> IIRC, no one knew Tiptree’s real name (which led to the embarrassment of Robert Silverberg saying the he could tell Tiptree was a man from the prose).
I thought that was Harlan Ellison? (Or maybe they _both_ made comments to that effect.)
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