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Why are some famous authors known by their initials?
- Thread starter EZC
- Start date
B
butterrum28
Guest
R.L. Stine
GooseBumps Books Baby!
Used to read them all the time-until they started making the short films about them. Night of The Living Dummy scared me senseless!
GooseBumps Books Baby!
Used to read them all the time-until they started making the short films about them. Night of The Living Dummy scared me senseless!
C
cole i
Guest
It is what they chose. It's kind of a pen name with still being a persons name. Authors will have their own reasons. If they don't like their first name but don't want a made up name, they may find it flows better or is more memorable, it sounds more sophisticated. JK Rowling chose her initials because she felt that the anonymous nature would help the books sell better because people wouldn't see a female writing that type of book and over look it.
☆
☆Potterwatch [DA]
Guest
Well, in the examples that you gave, it might have been because that is just how they wanted to be known.
However, in the cases like that of J.K. Rowling or S.E. Hinton, it is because they are female authors, and the publishers feel that it is better for them to use initials or a pen name because it is more likely that the book will appeal to a bigger audience, especially male readers, who are more likely to read their books if they don't know the author is a woman, because they might think that a woman is not really capable of writing that type of book (kind of sexist, but that's the truth).
Or it could just be that they feel that a short name like that will stick better and be remembered more easily than if they have their full name on the book.
So it depends.
However, in the cases like that of J.K. Rowling or S.E. Hinton, it is because they are female authors, and the publishers feel that it is better for them to use initials or a pen name because it is more likely that the book will appeal to a bigger audience, especially male readers, who are more likely to read their books if they don't know the author is a woman, because they might think that a woman is not really capable of writing that type of book (kind of sexist, but that's the truth).
Or it could just be that they feel that a short name like that will stick better and be remembered more easily than if they have their full name on the book.
So it depends.
troublewolf54
New member
It could be thats how they are called in real life. I have an Uncle that first name is just L>Z> It stood for nothing and when he went into the army, they assigned him a full name!
Some used pen names. I always wanted to use my two first initals with my full last name.
Theres no tradition that i've heard of.
Some used pen names. I always wanted to use my two first initals with my full last name.
Theres no tradition that i've heard of.
Pangloss- Ancora Imparo
New member
e.e. cummings
J.K. Rowling
A.A. Milne
E.B. White
F. Scott Fitzgerald
P.B. Shelley
T.H. White
S.E. Hinton
W.B. Yeats
T.E. Lawrence
W. Somerset Maugham
V.S. Naipaul
H.P. Lovercraft
G.K. Chesterton
W.H. Auden
Edit-
Sometimes to add an air of mystery, sometimes because it is what the author or publisher preferred and sometimes because the author did not want the reader to know their sex (as stated below).
J.K. Rowling
A.A. Milne
E.B. White
F. Scott Fitzgerald
P.B. Shelley
T.H. White
S.E. Hinton
W.B. Yeats
T.E. Lawrence
W. Somerset Maugham
V.S. Naipaul
H.P. Lovercraft
G.K. Chesterton
W.H. Auden
Edit-
Sometimes to add an air of mystery, sometimes because it is what the author or publisher preferred and sometimes because the author did not want the reader to know their sex (as stated below).
SouthPawWriter
New member
O.J. Simpson?