AuthorHouse | Why Use a Pen Name? Legal Resources What’s in a Pen Name? Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, John Swithen, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and Mary Westmacott. Two of these are the pen names of famous authors known better by their real names, and the other two are writers more widely recognized by their pseudonyms. If we list them like this: Lewis Carroll, Stephen King, Mark Twain, and Agatha Christie—it suddenly makes perfect sense. So why do writers use pen names, pseudonyms, nom de plumes, or aliases? And is this something that will help you in marketing you as your brand and as an author? Using a pen name as an author is exactly the same as an actor using a stage name. It is not a new concept and is a matter of personal choice. You should make sure, however, that the reasoning behind your decision to write under another name is sound and will not have the opposite effect on your work and damage your readers’ perceptions. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons writers usually choose a pen name. We’ll start with the wrong reasons so you can see if you’re on the right track from the outset.

No Pen Name Required Reasons NOT to adopt a pen name: To appear more exotic Don’t try and use a pen name simply to impress your editors and readers. Your writing should be what warrants their appreciation. Once you have won them over with your writing craft, your name will become “exotic” by association. If it Jeopardizes Your Professionalism If you are trying to express your inner artist through your pen name, be careful who that person might be. You want to maintain an aura of professionalism. Names like Apollo Starfire or Divine Aphrodite run the danger of diminishing your credibility. To Remain Anonymous You should be willing to stand behind your writing, whether you are courting controversy or tackling the taboo. Do not fear the reactions of your readers, as this is the reason you shared your thoughts and opinions through your writing in the first place. As a Shield If you have written about someone you know or you fear your material may be slanderous, you are better off changing the identities of your characters, rather than your name, to avoid any legal consequences. Nobody needs to know who you are really writing about. For Permission Restrictions on writing due to gender, race, ethnicity or culture should no longer be a problem.

This is especially true with the advent of self-publishing. Suit Up that Pseudonym So now you know the reasons why you shouldn’t adopt a pen name, here are the some of the situations where a nom de plume might be just the right touch to add a certain je ne sais quoi. To Maintain Professionalism Just as your pen name can have a negative impact on your professionalism, it can also help preserve it. A university professor’s scholarly reputation could well be tarnished if he were discovered to have written a number of pulp fiction novels. People have unfounded preconceptions and prejudices about who should be writing what, so a pen name may be helpful to separate your literary ambitions from your career. To Cross Genres If you have already written in one genre and want to take on the challenge of another, you may want to think about doing so as a new persona. This is especially true if those genres are poles apart, jumping from gruesome horror novels to children’s fairytales, for example. Dame Agatha Christie is a prime example of this. We introduced her above as Mary Westmacott. This was her pseudonym for writing romance novels. A far cry from the murder mysteries for which she is world renowned.

To Meet Reader and Genre Expectations Have you ever read The Masked Marauding Mangler by Desiree Valentine or Lovely Little Lilies by Mike Hardstone? Obviously not. To Make it Snappier Alternatively, if your readers can’t remember or pronounce your name, this is going to adversely affect your book marketing. If your name is Catherine-Marguerite Fraquharson-Carruthers, for example, you might want to consider streamlining it to something like Cathy Carr or Catherine Margaret. To Keep Up with Production Being a prolific writer can actually work against your book marketing. If you start to pump books out at too fast a rate, readers will start to doubt the effort that is going into them. This was the reason behind Stephen King adopting his Richard Bachman alias. 5 Points to Remember So if you are considering writing under a pen name, remember these points to make your nom de plume work for your book marketing campaign: Keep it professional.

The many pen names of famous authors | CBC Books | CBC Radio The many pen names of famous authors Thursday, February 27, 2014 | The woman whose mind created the magical world of Harry Potter's Hogwarts will be releasing a second novel under her pen name: Robert Galbraith. J.K. Rowling first used the pseudonym to write a crime novel, The Cuckoo's Calling, without the pressures of being associated with her Harry Potter fame. It was a well-received book, although a modest selling one. Then Galbraith's true identity was leaked and it became an overnight bestseller. In anticipation of Rowling/Galbraith's (Rowlbraith?) second novel this summer, Silk Worm, CBC Books has compiled a list of other authors who achieved fame without using their birth names. The Brontë sisters Like many female authors living in the 1800s, the Brontë sisters all used male pen names. Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë published under the names Acton, Currer and Ellis Bell respectively. The trio chose their male pseudonyms to combat stereotypes against female authors at the time, which gave women's writing little credibility in a male-dominated field.

Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights was first printed in 1847, but it was republished three years later following her death. The 1850 edition carried Emily's actual name. Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre was published under her pen name in 1847, but with all three sisters published under similar pen names, speculation grew that the authors were women and Jane Eyre received some harsher reviews. Nora Roberts Famous romance novelist Nora Roberts has a story similar to Rowling's. Roberts was tentative to make the leap from one genre to another under the name that brought her several best selling romance novel titles. For her works of detective fiction, Roberts wrote under the name J.D. Robb. Roberts chose her pen name by using the initials of her sons' names, Jason and Daniel, and shortening her last name to Robb. Her first J.D. Robb book, Naked in Death, was published in 1995 and six years later, the publisher revealed the famous romance novelist behind the pseudonym. By that time, J.D. Robb had published 12 books in the series.

Agatha Christie Similarly to Roberts, Agatha Christie was a well-established detective novel writer when she started using a pseudonym. Christie chose to publish in a new genre under the name Mary Westmacott. She wrote six romance novels under the name. Mary was Christie's second name, while Westmacott was the name of a distant relative. Benjamin Franklin One of the founding fathers of America, Benjamin Franklin wrote under several pseudonyms. But, the reason for his first pen name adopted at the age of 16 is perhaps the most amusing. At the time, Franklin worked as a printer's apprentice to his brother. Folklore has it that his brother did not want to print any of Benjamin's works and his letters were rejected multiple times. So, the teenager took on the name Silence Dogood and wrote 15 letters from the perspective of a middle-aged woman, which were published in the New England Courant. Stephen King In 1977, Stephen King published his first book as Richard Bachman -- despite having already published books under his actual name.

During the early years of King's career, publishers wanted to limit writers to one book a year, the author explains on his website, apparently because of a belief in the publishing world that readers would only accept that much work from an author. King's desire to write more led him to taking on the name Richard Bachman, under which he published several books before similarities in writing styles between the two authors were discovered and he was outed. The name was a spur of the moment decision when King's publisher called. He happened to have a book by Richard Stark on his desk and was listening to a song by Bachman Turner Overdrive on the radio, combining the two he arrived at his pen name. More on CBC Books 11 Author Pen Names That We Thought Were Their Real Names - 11 Points 11 Author Pen Names That We Thought Were Their Real Names written by Sam Greenspan I've always found myself unexplainably intrigued by pen names and showbiz names. I trace it back to when I was in 5th grade, figured out how to go on Usenet (it was the late '80s) and found a list of pro wrestler's real names.

I remember thinking things like "Jake 'The Snake' Roberts is really named Aurelian Smith, Jr.? That is a totally radical discovery!" Apropos of that, sort of, I put together this list of famous authors who use pen names -- but pen names that we (or, more accurately, I) always figured were their real names. So this list doesn't have Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain, or Dr. Seuss/Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dear Abby and Ann Landers/15 random yentas. Howard. Anne Rice. (Real Name: Howard Allen O'Brien) Yes, Anne Rice's real name is Howard. No, this wasn't a case of a guy trying to write vampire stories under a woman's name to give them that extra dose of sensuality -- Anne Rice's mom really named her Howard. Not sure why she ditched the O'Brien; that probably was related to having some credibility in the sensuality department. George Orwell. (Real Name: Eric Arthur Blair) In a crazy twist, "Eric Blair" sounds like the name of a character who could've been someone's Big Brother in a teen movie made in 1984. Lewis Carroll.

(Real Name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) No, I didn't know Lewis Carroll was a pen name. Sure, cackle in delight with superiority. Lewis Carroll sounds like a perfectly viable British name (at least to me as an American). According to The Internet, he picked this because Lewis was adapted as the Anglicized version of the Latin version of Lutwidge and Carroll was adapted as the Irish version of the Latin version of Charles. See, back in the 1800s, instead of trying to take their middle name and street name and find their porn pseudonym, kids converted and unconverted their names from Latin to figure out their pen names. Thanks a lot, mind numbing effects of television. Voltaire. (Real Name: Francois-Marie Arouet) So if you're at an all-night breakfast place and order pancakes in the Age of Enlightenment, you'll fully understand if the waitress tells you "Hold on, Francois-Marie Arouet." Pablo Neruda. (Real Name: Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto) I am familiar with the works of Pablo Neruda. (Just not his real name.) Ayn Rand.

(Real Name: Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum) Probably would've realized this was a pen name if I'd thought about it. Or, at least, if the government had told me I was allowed to think about it. Stan Lee. (Real Name: Stanley Martin Lieber) I'm happy I live in an era where we now think our super-Jewy last names will actually HELP us get credibility. You blazed this trail, Seinfeld/Stern/Sandler/Bill Goldberg/Jonathan Lipnicki. George Eliot, going for the Princess Leia. George Eliot. (Real Name: Mary Ann Evans) I feel like once upon a time I was in an English class and we were doing "Silas Marner" and the teacher told us that a woman used the pen name "George Eliot" so she'd be taken seriously. Although, gun to my head, after well over a decade of letting that trivia knowledge atrophy, I probably couldn't have told you whether George Eliot or Silas Marner was the pen name, the book or the real name. It's the Gordon Lightfood/Edmund Fitzgerald paradox all over again. Joseph Conrad.

(Real Name: Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) Question: How many Polish authors does it take to make a heart of darkness? Answer: One to write the book and 10 to unscrew the lightbulb. Crickets. Agatha Christie. (Real Name: Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller) If twisting her own name wasn't enough, to keep her mysterion credibility, she also wrote romance novels using the pen name Mary Westmacott. Have you ever read "Murder on the Orient Ass-press"? That book's like all anal. J.K. Rowling. (Real Name: Joanne Rowling) The "K" doesn't stand for anything; she doesn't have a middle name. J.K. Rowling adding something extraneous -- who would've thunk it? This post was originally published on Monday, December 20, 2010 at 11:00:00 AM under the category Books . Facebookery? What’s in a Name? 5 Authors and Their Pseudonyms – The Writer's Circle Share on Facebook Pin There are many advantages to choosing a pseudonym. Sometimes, what you write might not get published because of the author’s reputation.

Other times, the author just wants their privacy. But it can also be a way for famous authors to test whether or not they are still writing as well as they used to, or if they are past their prime. Whatever the reason, the amount of authors who have used pen names may surprise you. Here are just five famous authors and the fascinating stories behind their pseudonyms! 1. Benjamin Frankin AKA Mrs. Silence Dogood Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, is famous for a great many accomplishments. He helped design traffic lights, the concept of a fire department, and published many interesting writings including his autobiography and the Farmer’s Almanac. But to his reading audience, he wasn’t always known as Benjamin Franklin… In fact, he wasn’t always known as a man! Some knew him as Mrs. Silence Dogood. In 1722, a 16 year old Benjamin Franklin wrote several letters to the New-England Courant only to have them rejected. After some thought, Franklin crafted a new persona for himself: a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood. He wrote 15 letters in total, each of which were published. Some were quite amusing.

One in particular poked quite a bit of fun at Colonial America like this excerpt on hoop skirts: “These monstrous topsy-turvy Mortar-Pieces, are neither fit for the Church, the Hall, or the Kitchen; and if a Number of them were well mounted on Noddles-Island, they would look more like Engines of War for bombarding the Town, than Ornaments of the Fair Sex. An honest Neighbour of mine, happening to be in Town some time since on a publick Day, inform’d me, that he saw four Gentlewomen with their Hoops half mounted in a Balcony, as they withdrew to the Wall, to the great Terror of the Militia, who (he thinks) might attribute their irregular Volleys to the formidable Appearance of the Ladies Petticoats.” 2. Stephen King AKA Richard Bachman In the 1970’s it was generally accepted in the publishing world that an author could feasibly publish maybe one book per year. Anyone who knows Stephen King knows that’s just not his style. He wanted to be able to publish more books so he came up with a new name to publish under.

This also helped him to answer the question that many successful people have: “Am I successful because of talent, or because of luck?” Inspired by a combination of Donald E. Westlake’s pseudonym, Richard Stark, and the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, King adopted the name “Richard Bachman.” Under this name, King was able to publish a few novels before the link between him and his nom de plume was discovered. Books credited to Bachman include Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man, and Thinner. Misery was already intended to be attributed to King, however D.C. bookstore clerk, Steve Brown, discovered the link between Bachman and King through some super sleuthing. Bachman’s “death” was announced as a “cancer of the pseudonym.” Since then, King has published two more stories under the Bachman name: The Regulators and Blaze. The relationship between King and Bachman also inspired the 1989 novel The Dark Half, in which an author’s pseudonym comes to life. 3. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson AKA Lewis Carroll Not many of us know Lewis Carroll by his real name.

In fact, this English writer is famous almost explicitly due to his pseudonym. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson had many diverse interests; he loved children and puzzles. This, of course, inspired many of his works, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. Why did Dodgson use a pen name? According to the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, it was because he was “a modest gentleman and a scholar/instructor at Oxford [who] valued his privacy very highly”. 4. J.K. Rowling AKA Robert Galbraith Benjamin Franklin isn’t the only one who swapped genders with a pseudonym. J.K. Rowling, actually, is already a pseudonym for Joanne Rowling. Her publishers were nervous that the intended readers for the Harry Potter books wouldn’t read wizard stories written by a woman. That fear may have been an influence in her later pen name, Robert Galbraith. Under the Galbraith name, she has published one novel so far: The Cuckoo’s Calling. Galbraith’s bio stated he was a former Royal Military Police investigator. Truthfully, the name was invented through a combination of names.

She drew Robert from Robert Kennedy, a personal hero of hers, and the last name came from Ella Galbraith, a name she invented for herself as a child. In 2003, Rowling told Jeremy Paxman that if she ever wrote under a pseudonym, she would be found out in seconds. Sadly, these words came true. It wasn’t even two months before someone close to Rowling leaked the true authorship of The Cuckoo’s Calling. Of the whole experience, Rowling stated “I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer, because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience. It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.” 5. Dame Agatha Christia AKA Mary Westmacott While Rowling may have chosen a pseudonym specifically so she could write a crime novel, Dame Agatha Christie chose to use a pseudonym specifically so she could write something other than crime novels. Under her real name, Agatha Christie wrote 66 detective noels and 14 short story collections. Naturally, with such a strong genre brand under her name, writing romance novels felt out of place.

Christie chose the name Mary Westmacott to write these novels that were a far departure from her normal stories. She published six novels in total under the Westmacott name, which, according to her granddaughter , “gave [Agatha Christie] the chance to better explore the human psychology she was so intrigued by, freed from the expectations of her mystery fans.” “Mary Westmacott” is a combination of Agatha’s second name (Mary) and the name of her distant relatives, the Westmacotts. Unlike other 20th century authors on this list, she managed to keep the secret of her pseudonym for quite some time: almost twenty years. Famous Authors and Their Pseudonyms (Part Two) Famous Authors and Their Pseudonyms (Part Two) Topics: Legendary Authors , Literature , Book News The revelation that JK Rowling is the author behind the warmly received novel The Cuckoo's Calling has caused quite a stir! But Rowling is far from the first famous author to adopt a pseudonym; indeed, she joins a rich literary tradition of the pen name--illustrious authors like Charles Dickens and Mark Twain have also used noms de guerre. Today we'll explore twentieth-century authors who opted to publish under different names.

Agatha Christie The famous creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple built quite a name for herself as a writer of mystery novels. When Agatha Christie decided to try her hand at a different genre, she also decided to use a different name: Mary Westmacott. She wrote her first Westmacott novel, Giant's Bread, with a "rather guilty feeling," which she relished. Even though her real identity was discovered in 1949, Christie published two more Westmacott novels. In 1950, Christie was invited to attend a celebration of her work and said, "Thank you for asking me to meet Agatha Christie. If you don't mind, I am bringing my old friend Mary Westmacott with me." Eric Blair Though Eric Blair aspired to an authorial career, he didn't feel that he'd made a sufficient name for himself. When it came time to publish, he opted for a name that echoed his deep love of England: George Orwell . George is the patron saint of England, and in 1933 when Blair began publishing in New Adelphi, George V was the monarch of Great Britain.

Orwell was the name of a river in Suffolk, and one of Blair's favorite spots in England. It was also the name of a village Blair had visited in Cambridge. CS Lewis When noted author and theologian decided to turn his attention to verse, he also wanted to avoid damaging his reputation as a don at Oxford University. Thus, he published both Spirits in Bondage and Dymer under the name Clive Hamilton. He also published A Grief Observed pseudonymously, with the pen name NW Clerk. The work was so personal, he wanted to distance himself from it professionally. Edward Gorey Author and illustrator Edward Gorey published over 100 books, and he remains an incredibly popular figure among collectors of children's books. Gorey was incredibly fond of word games, especially anagrams, and he often adopted pseudonyms that were anagrams of his real name (such as Ogdred Weary). He wrote The Evil Garden and The Tuning Fork, which he claimed were translated from German, with the pen name Eduard Blutig. "Blutig" is German for "bloody," a synonym for "gory." Theodor Geisel Many people don't even know the real name of Dr.

Seuss , whose whimsical illustrated children's books have become modern classics. But this wasn't even Geisel's first pen name! In high school, Geisel frequently contributed "grinders" (one liners) to the school newspaper with the pseudonym Peter Pessimist. Soon after, he began using Theo Lesieg--spelling his last name backwards. When he began writing cartoons and other pieces for Judge, Geisel wanted to save his real name for the novel he planned to write and began using Dr. Theophrastus Seuss. Theophrastus was the name of a beloved stuffed dog, and Seuss was his mother's maiden name. Because Geisel published a variety of cartoons, essays, and stories that were much more adult in nature, it made sense for him to create a separate persona for his children's books. Stephen King When the news broke about JK Rowling, Stephen King almost immediately voiced his empathy for Rowling and her desire to publish under an unrecognized name. King himself has done the same thing, and descried it as "a blessed relief, to write in anonymity." King made a name for himself relatively early in his career, and he soon decided to publish under then name Richard Bachman.

He used the name for four novels, but it wasn't too long before someone recognized the similarities between King's and Bachman's writing styles. King observed that in the internet age, he'd probably be detected even more quickly. Dean Koontz Prolific author Dean Koontz has used multiple pen names throughout his career, though now these works have been reissued under his own name. Koontz identified two primary reasons for using a pen name. First, writers who publish more than one book per year are often dismissed by the critics. And second, authors who write outside their original genre often experience low sales, which can hurt their reputations. Koontz acquiesced to his publishers' requests for pseudonyms, and because he enjoyed writing in a variety of genres, he also ended up with a variety of pseudonyms. One more successful one was Owen West, under which Koontz published two bestselling novels. Michael Crichton It was as a student at Harvard Medical School that Michael Crichton began his writing career. By that time, he was already extremely tall--6 feet, 9 inches, to be exact. Thus he chose pseudonyms that played on this personal trait.

The first John Lange incorporates the German surname for "Long." Crichton also used Jeffrey Hudson, after Sir Jeffrey Hudson, the dwarf from the court of the Queen Consort Henrietta Maria of England. Crichton recounts in Travels that he got to eavesdrop on doctors discussing the flaws of Andromeda Strain because they didn't know he was the author. Crichton also co-wrote Dealing with his brother Douglas using the name Michael Douglas. Crichton's mother provided a picture of the brothers together when they were very young to use on the book's dust jacket. 8 famous authors who used secret pseudonyms | MNN - Mother Nature Network MNN.com > Lifestyle > Arts & Culture 8 famous authors who used secret pseudonyms J.K. Rowling wasn't the first. While many established writers are relieved to rely on their fame, these authors adopted sly alter egos. 4 J.K. Rowling, who you might also know as Robert Galbraith. (Photo: Daniel Ogren/ flickr ) Many authors have chosen to publish by a pen name.

Lewis Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Mark Twain grew up as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and Theodor Seuss Geisel was the name on the birth certificate of Dr. Seuss . But where pen names get interesting is when an established author decides to slip past the spotlight and write something secretly under a pseudonym. Consider the following examples: 1. Agatha Christie: Mary Westmacott The English crime writer wrote an impressive 66 detective novels and more than 15 short story collections under her own name, but she also wrote six romance novels under the name Mary Westmacott. 2. Benjamin Franklin: Mrs. Silence Dogood What a wicked sense of humor this founding father had. In 1722, a series of “charming” letters were delivered to the New-England Courant (one of the first American newspapers) written by a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood — who was actually young Benjamin Franklin . After being denied publication in the paper, the sly writer took on the alias, and was quickly published. Of hoop skirts, the cheeky Mrs.

Dogood wrote: These monstrous topsy-turvy Mortar-Pieces, are neither fit for the Church, the Hall, or the Kitchen; and if a Number of them were well mounted on Noddles-Island, they would look more like Engines of War for bombarding the Town, than Ornaments of the Fair Sex. An honest Neighbour of mine, happening to be in Town some time since on a publick Day, inform’d me, that he saw four Gentlewomen with their Hoops half mounted in a Balcony, as they withdrew to the Wall, to the great Terror of the Militia, who (he thinks) might attribute their irregular Volleys to the formidable Appearance of the Ladies Petticoats. 3. C.S. Lewis: Clive Hamilton and N.W. Clerk Clive Staples Lewis, the hugely influential Christian writer who contributed "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Out of the Silent Planet," "The Four Loves," "The Screwtape Letters" and "Mere Christianity" to the world also wrote by another pen name.

Under the name of Clive Hamilton, he published "Spirits in Bondage" and "Dymer." And then in 1961, he published "A Grief Observed" which addressed his bereavement over losing his wife. The book was first published under the pseudonym in hopes of avoiding identification of Lewis as the author. 4. Isaac Asimov: Paul French Author and professor Isaac Asimov, best known for his works of science fiction and his popular science books, was asked to write a juvenile science-fiction novel that would serve as the basis for a television series. Fearing that the “Lucky Starr” series would be adapted into the "uniformly awful" programming typical of television, he decided to publish it under the pseudonym Paul French. Plans for the TV series fell through, but he continued to write the books, eventually producing six novels in the series. 5. J.K.

Rowling: Robert Galbraith Having already shortened her name to a gender-ambiguous set of initials, Joanne Rowling recently set the book-reading world reeling when it was divulged that the world’s best selling author was the voice behind Robert Galbraith, supposed first-time author of “The Cuckoo’s Calling.” Said the author upon her outing: “I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer, because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience. It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.” 6. Michael Crichton: John Lange, Jeffery Hudson and Michael Douglas During his time at Harvard Medical School, the bestselling author began publishing under his own name, but then also started publishing under the names of John Lange, Jeffery Hudson and Michael Douglas — the latter being a combination of his name and his brother’s, with whom he co-wrote "Dealing." 7. Stephen King: Richard Bachman Early in horror fiction author Stephen King's career, publishers often limited writers to one book per year, leading King to create a pseudonym to increase publications without over-saturating the King brand.

He convinced his publisher to print the extra novels under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Books published under the pen name include: "Rage" (1977), "The Long Walk" (1979), "Roadwork" (1981), "The Running Man" (1982), "Thinner" (1984), "The Regulators" (1996), and "Blaze" (2007). 8. Washington Irving: Jonathan Oldstyle, Diedrich Knickerbocker and Geoffrey Crayon Famed American author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle," Washington Irving made his debut in 1802 under the name Jonathan Oldstyle. In 1809, he finished his first long book “A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty," a political and historic satire published under another pseudonym: Diedrich Knickerbocker. Before its publication, Irving started a marketing hoax by issuing a series of missing person notices in New York newspapers seeking information about Knickerbocker, a Dutch historian who had gone missing from his hotel in New York City.

As part of the scheme, Irving also placed a notice allegedly from the hotel’s proprietor, saying that if Mr. Knickerbocker didn’t return to settle his hotel bill, the hotel owner would publish the manuscript Knickerbocker had left behind. Naturally, it was published and eagerly scooped up. Guerilla marketing has never been the same. Related stories on MNN: Agatha Christie Agatha Christie Location of death: Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England Cause of death: Natural Causes Remains: Buried, St. Mary's Churchyard, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, England Gender: Female Nationality: England Executive summary: Mystery novelist Agatha Christie was a prolific and extremely popular British author and playwright best known for her work in the murder mystery genre. From her first novel in 1920, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, to the reprints of her novels that still appear today, some 30 years after her death, Agatha Christie's works have enjoyed unparalleled success.

But while Christie and her favorite characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, have become icons of "who dunnit" detective fiction, the scope of Christie's popularity is such that that sales of her books have not only surpassed that of any other mystery writer, but of all other writers of any genre. Not even William Shakespeare has been so widely read. In fact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records over 2 billion copies of her books have sold and her works have been translated into more than 100 languages. Only the Christian Bible has outstripped her in readership. Many of Christie's works have been translated into film, most notably Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Her short stories, plays, and novels have also been adapted to television, radio, and at least one video game (And Then There Were None, 2005). In addition Christie boasts the longest running play in the world: The Mousetrap, which she originally wrote as a birthday gift for Queen Mary. Christie received numerous honors during her lifetime including the Mystery Writers of America�s Grand Master Award (1955) and the order of Dame Commander of the British Empire (1971).

In addition to her more famous mysteries, Christie wrote some lesser known romantic novels under the pen name Mary Westmacott. Agatha Christie was born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller on September 15, 1890 in Torquay, England. Her father was an American citizen, of modest private income, who home schooled her in mathematics. But when young Agatha was 11 years old he died, and she thereafter began attending regular classes in arithmetic and other subjects. She was an avid reader as well and soon became a great fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , especially his Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. Her love of writing surfaced early as well, nurtured both by her mother and by neighboring novelist Eden Philpotts (best known for his Dartmoor series). Of this period Agatha Christie remarked, "For some years I enjoyed myself very much writing stories of unrelieved gloom where most of the characters died." Music and dance had always been an important part of her curriculum. So when Agatha's mother sent her off to Paris a few years later, for further schooling, it was with the hope that Agatha might one day emerge as an opera star.

But although she did well in singing and music lessons Agatha developed terrible stage fright, making a career involving any kind of public performance utterly out of the question. After graduation Agatha and her mother embarked on an exciting 3 month tour of Egypt, a very fashionable "wintering" spot for English society of that period. But while other English folk went for the novelty and the chic, young Agatha felt in love with the history and with Middle Eastern ambience. The romance and the mystery of other cultures and of great civilizations long gone intrigued her greatly and became fuel a number of her later books, as well as a life long love of archaeology. But all that was in the distant future. When she returned to England Agatha found romance and adventure of a different kind. She met and married Archibald Christie, a handsome young Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery. That same year, 1914, World War I began. And like many other patriotic young women the 24 year old Agatha began volunteering her time for the war effort. She became a nurse at a Red Cross Hospital in Torquay, and eventually she took a post in the dispensary.

There she gained an intimate knowledge of pharmaceutical drugs and their preparation and uses -- including their lethal dosages. Meanwhile her love of writing and mysteries still flourished, and she began to think about writing her own novel. In 1916, egged on by her sister Madge, she decided to have a go at it. Setting the interruptions of daily life aside, she checked into the Moorland Hotel in Dartmoor. In just three weeks she managed to crank out her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The novel debuted her now famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, the quirky yet logical little Poirot who would eventually appear in 39 novels, including his 1975 swan song, Curtain, published shortly before Christie's death. But although finished quickly, the book took nearly four years to find publication. But once the reading public had gotten a taste of Agatha Christie's work, her success as an author was assured. Her second book The Secret Adversary soon followed in 1922, starring lesser known characters Tommy and Tuppence.

(Miss Marple would not appear until 1930.) And soon she was publishing at least one book per year -- with nearly everything she produced selling astonishingly well. But life on the home front meanwhile was not so successful. Despite the birth of daughter Rosalind in 1919 and their mutual economic success, the Christies were drifting apart. Eventually, in 1926, Archie admitted he had a mistress and asked for a divorce. The highly sensitive Agatha was crushed. But what followed immediately after has haunted the legend of the great writer ever since. On the evening of Friday, December 3, 1926, Agatha Christie went upstairs to kiss her daughter goodnight. Then, at 9:45 p.m., she got into car and drove away. Later the vehicle was found abandoned several miles from home, with many of Agatha�s personal belongings strewn about inside. There was no sign of Agatha herself however. Immediately a huge search was mounted, and the case attracted tremendous attention from the media as well as various public figures, including the Home Secretary.

As if the line between mystery novel and reality was not blurry enough, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was sought out to consult on the case as was mystery writer and Dorothy L. Sayers . Agatha�s husband Archie meanwhile, who had been away for the weekend with his girlfriend, became the object of tremendous scorn and suspicion, with members of the public alternately conjecturing that he had done his wife in, or driven her to suicide. But 11 days later Agatha Christie was found, alive, at the Harrogate Hydropathic Hotel. Most curious of all, she had registered herself under a name patterned after her husband's mistress. According to a public statements made by police and family, Agatha was allegedly suffering from amnesia. Agatha herself never commented publicly on the event, and nowhere in her autobiographies is it mentioned. Christie enthusiasts and biographers continue to puzzle over the incident therefore. Was it a publicity stunt to raise book sales, as the police suspected? Or perhaps it was an attempt to embarrass her husband and ruin his weekend tryst with mistress Nancy Neele, as suggested by biographer Jared Cade ( Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days, 1999).

There are even those who claim her tale of amnesiac confusion was legitimate, that she�d had a particularly severe nervous breakdown (Agatha Christie: The Finished Portrait, 2006, Dr. Andrew Norman). A fictionalized 1979 film treatment of the subject, Agatha, starring Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave even portrayed a confused Christie held virtual prisoner at Harrogate, receiving shock treatments to alter her mental state. Although speculation continues, many believe her novel Unfinished Portrait (1934), written as Mary Westmacott, gives clues to the emotional turmoil she was experiencing prior to her disappearance. In it a woman writer, remarkably similar to the real life Christie, is driven to the edge of suicide by the shock of her husband�s demand for divorce. In any event, despite remaining together for a time after the scandal, the Christies ultimately divorced in 1928. Several months later Agatha decided to go on a holiday, someplace exotic and foreign. She ended up aboard the Orient Express, headed for the Middle East. But even though the train ride provided fodder and inspiration for her later book, Murder on the Orient Express (1934), her final destination proved dreadfully boring.

Arriving at last in Baghdad, Christie soon found herself bogged down in polite English society, and all usual accouterments. She felt that if all she had wanted was to do was play tennis and attend tea parties she could have stayed at home. Christie was aware however that some exciting archaeological work was being done farther south in Iraq, at the site of the biblical city of Ur. And she realized she could escape her implacably English hosts by arranging a visit to the dig site. As it turned out the wife of the chief archaeologist on site was a big fan of Christie's and an extended stay was easy to arrange. There at last she immersed herself in the exotic foreign world she had come to explore -- strange foods, customs, the bustle of native workers. But as it turned out, watching the ancient past emerge from the sands had a romance all its own. And the intellectual work of archaeology, figuring out the past from clues left behind, was a great deal like detective work. So, although she had to return to England, she eagerly accepted an invitation to return again the following year.

When she did, she was assigned a handsome young archaeologist, Max Mallowan, to show her around and explain what had been learned during the year�s excavation. Agatha enjoyed his company as much as she did the tour itself. But of course she was certain he would never be interested in an "old lady" like herself, 14 years his senior. But when a family emergency called Agatha back to England, Max insisted on accompanying her. Six months later they were married. It proved to be the beginning of a life of mutual respect, support, and adventuring with Agatha accompanying Max into the field for excavations as often as possible. She even became the expedition photographer and was a crack hand at cleaning and restoring artifacts. What's more she loved reconstructing fragments of pottery and other artifacts, likening it to doing a jigsaw puzzle. According to Max, she had a meticulous manner, a keen eye, and seemingly endless patience. Meanwhile she continued to write her novels, with many of her stories inspired by the settings and characters she�d encountered on their travels. The hefty earnings from her books meant she and Max were never short of revenue for their expeditions or any of Max�s other academic forays.

But by 1957 Agatha found it more difficult to manage camp life, especially in the rainy season. Indeed she was so plagued by illness that year Max decided to call it quits. They retired from Nimrud and returned to England, where they busied themselves with writing and other projects. In 1968 Max was knighted for services to archaeology, and he was made a trustee of the British Museum in 1973. Agatha, in the meantime, was named the world's best-selling author in the English language (UNESCO, 1961), and was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire (1971). She continued writing of course, and she became increasingly involved with the theater and film. Before long any play with her name attached became an instant sensation. But on January 12, 1976, Agatha Christie died, following a short illness.She was 86 years old. Max's memoirs, published the following year, cited his feelings of emptiness after 45 years of a loving and creative partnership with Agatha.

Nonetheless he did remarry however, in September of 1977 to Barbara Parker, a long time friend and work associate from the excavation at Nimrud. Parker was one of a handful of women with whom he is rumored to have had an affair. Less than a year later, on August 19, 1978, Mallowan himself died. Despite the fact that Max Mallowan was considered one of the premier anthropologists of his day, it is his wife, Agatha Christie Mallowan, which the public best remembers. Although as private, self-effacing and polite as her favorite character, Miss Marple, Dame Agatha made it clear to her readers that a shrewd and creative intelligence could be a thoroughly feminine virtue. Father: Frederick Alvah Miller Mother: Clarissa Boehmer (d. 1926) Husband: Archibald Christie (m. 24-Nov-1914, div. Apr-1928, one daughter) Daughter: Rosalind Hicks (b. 8-May-1919, d. 28-Oct-2004) Husband: Sir Max Mallowan (archaeologist, m.

11-Sep-1930) Can You Guess Which Pen Name Belongs To Which Famous Author Your Post Has Been Launched! Fabulous! Don't forget to share with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Can You Guess Which Pen Name Belongs To Which Famous Author? Up next on your reading list: A Tale of Two Names. Liz Claiborne Christopher Oates Joyce Carol Oates wrote “Lives of the Twins” and seven other novels under the pen name Rosamond Smith. King Stephen Roland Deschain Stephen King published seven novels, including “Rage” and “The Long Walk,” under the pen name Richard Bachman. King explains on his website that he used the pseudonym because “there was a feeling in the publishing business that one book a year was all the public would accept.” Newland Archer Rita Ora Ellie Sattler John Lange Michael Crichton wrote a number of novels in the ’60s and ’70s, including his debut novel “Odds On,” under the pen name John Lange. Lady AGaGatha W.H. Blore Agatha Christie wrote six novels under the pen name Mary Westmacott.

Her granddaughter writes on the author’s official website that the pseudonym “freed [her grandmother] from the expectations of her mystery fans.” Victoria Lucas W.F.P. Topney Sylvia Plath wrote “The Bell Jar” under the pen name Victoria Lucas because, according to one of the writer’s friends, Plath didn’t want her mother to know she had written the novel. Can You Guess Which Pen Name Belongs To Which Famous Author? Not so good with names, huh? We’re sure you’re better with faces! Nice try! Not “The Shining” score you hoped for? Try again later! Nice job! We had “Great Expectations” – and you exceeded them! SHARE YOUR RESULTS

Question: Which famous British author used the pen name Mary Westmacott?
Answer: Agatha Christie