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Why do I want to use a name and what should it be?
I need a name so that when I am famous, readers can ask for my latest release by Author's name.
What name should I use?
I like the mystique of a pseudonym but what are the practical reason's for such a choice?
Anonymity for one.
Marketability could be another if the name is right.
What would I use?
My mother had intended to name me Adrienne and I have always liked that notion. However, over the years I have come to identify myself with Andrea. Adrienne is commonly spelled a number of ways and in this age, weird name spelling seams to be the thing. Thus, Adrienne becomes Adrianne or even Adreanne and finally Adrean, which is Andrea with one letter rearranged. Is it too much? Does it distract rather than stand out? Is it significantly anonymous?
And the last name... I rather like my married name, Ayers, and like the alliteration, "A" is my favorite letter. While in England I discovered a China company I cannot afford to look at, Aynsley, from which I purchased a small desk clock where the name is displayed on the face and the reverse. It is a beautiful clock, very inspirational. Ainsley, the more common spelling, is derived from the OE Aines-leah and means "the awe-inspiring one's meadow". I would like to think of my alter-ego as "awe-inspiring" and have my readers enjoy coming to the meadow in which I dwell, my stories. And added benefit of using Aynsley is the alphabetical geography and its proximity to Ayers, making my work easy to find by either name, interchangeably.
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One thing to watch out for when you sell a manuscript is if YOU own your pseudonym or the publisher does. Bummer, if you build up a following for Olive Oyl and then switch publishers and can't take th name!