Nora Roberts on Branding Her Books

Nora Roberts, the author of more than 150 romance novels, was asked why she writes romantic suspense novels under a pen name. Here is her answer:

"It's marketing."

She says because she writes quickly that makes it difficult for her publisher to publish all of her work. Plus the works she labels penned by J. D. Robb are "edgier" she says. "Putting it under a pseudonym helps brand it for the reader."

Writers will find information on the concept of branding in They'll find information on the concept of editing aThe Frugal Book Promoter.s part of marketing (and therefore branding) in The Frugal Editor. They'll learn even more about how to sell their work in my Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less".

If you should be considering using a pen name here's what you should know:

1. It is very hard to keep a pen name secret. Everyone knows who Kristie Leigh Maguire is, as an example, and if people didn't know before that Robb was Nora Roberts' pen name, most of them will now.

2. It is very hard to promote in person--especially if you choose an opposite sex pen name. In fact, promotion of all kinds can become touchy if you are intent upon keeping your real identity a secret.

3. Using a pen name isn't necessarily an effective barriar against law suits.

Read more about Roberts in Time Magazine's "10 Questions" feature, page 6 of the Dec. 10, 2007, issue.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author THIS IS THE PLACE; HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED; TRACINGS, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T; and THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS.
Her other blogs include TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com and AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog that helps writers and publishers turn a ho-hum book fair booth into a sizzler.