What's in a Name

Today we have Vicki Batman, author of San Diego or Bust, sharing her story of the name game many authors face. Comment (and be sure to leave your email address) to enter a drawing to win a $15 gift card to Amazon!!  Take it away, Vicki...

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Somewhere near the title of this post, you'll see this: Vicki Batman.

I bet you are wondering if I am actually named that or is she using a pen name?  It's real. *giggles* I get to say I married a superhero. (Yes, Handsome gets embarrassed when I say it, too.)

I knew I was in trouble when we went for our marriage license and the clerk called, "Bateman?" We looked at each other wondering is that us? and finally straightened her out.

Some well-meaning relative told UPI about us when a new Batman movie came out way back when. After all, he's tall, dark-headed like Batman. I'm Batman's girlfriend, Vicki. And he really had an assistant--this is so funny--named Robin. We were splashed all over the paper, radio, television. We couldn't answer the phones.

So when I began writing, lots of people asked if Batman is my pen name. I said no and then told them I couldn't make up one as good as that. Truthfully, if it wasn't my name, I doubt I could use it. DC Comics owns "Batman."

That got me to thinking about pen names. I asked my fellow Plotting Princesses about how they chose their name and why:

Yes (using one): 5       No (aren't using one): 6

Anonymity: "I wanted to have a different, non-academic persona in Romancelandia. And I wanted some privacy since I write really steamy. My children were in Catholic grade school when I became published, and I wanted them to have privacy as well."  The publisher "loved my penname because it screamed historical romance to them."

My last name "is extremely rare and hubby didn't want me to use it in case I picked up a stalker."

Branding: "I decided to use my real name…because I have already established a presence under my real name by teaching online classes to authors."

Because "my name and my brand are compatible. If I should suddenly decide to publish something steamy, I'd use a pen name because it would be outside the scope of my brand." My name "sounds British and proper enough to fit with my Regencies and yet, it still works with my U.S. set contemporary YA fantasy."

A Better Name: "…my real name is extremely common both first and last. Trying to get a website and other social media with my real name was impossible."

Didn't Change: "My husband insisted that I use my real name because he wanted everyone to know his wife was an author."

"Would have liked a pen last name, but couldn't find one that made sense and had a website available."

"I didn't see any real reason to change my name. …I wanted to make it easy for people to find my books."

"I'm just getting started but planning to use my real name. Maybe nobody but my friends and family will buy my books, but even they won't find me unless I use my real name."

"I used my real name because it was too hard to come up with a pen name. Plus, I just wanted everyone to know that was ME and MY BOOK."

Other: When I ventured "into deep erotica, I knew a completely unrelated pen name would need to be created, but the husband was too horrified; so those stories are locked away in a vault."

"I didn't want my cozy readers to pick up one of my R-rated mysteries and be mad because of the language and sex." However, "I use my real <last> name because it is unusual and because I am vain and want people to know it's me."

So Vicki??? I use my real name. I came up with a couple that would work okay, but using Batman… Well, no one forgets you easily. Unfortunately, Facebook didn't like it and I was booted off for almost three weeks. A campaign of emails, friends, and information got me back on.
My phone calls are returned. And if I get one asking for Bateman, I hang up. After all, I'm not Bateman, "I'm Batman."

How about you? Do you use a pen name or your real name and why?

Book Blurb:

Blurb for San Diego or Bust:   Is her Mr. Right the right Mr. Right?
http://vickibatman.blogspot.com

Author Bio:



Like some of her characters, award-winning author, Vicki Batman has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything gal” at a financial services firm--the list is endless.

Writing for several years, she has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories to TRUE LOVE, TRUE ROMANCE, TRUE CONFESSIONS, NOBLE ROMANCE PUBLISHING, LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS, AND MUSEITUP PUBLISHING. She is a member of RWA and several writing groups and chapters. In 2004, she joined DARA and has served in many capacities, including 2009 President. DARA awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010.

Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking "What if??"


38 comments:

  1. :) I like this article. It is always interesting to see the reasons authors choose to use a penname or not.

    For me, I use my real name. I guess I'm a little vain, I just like the way it sounds.

    Plus, my parents would just tell all our extended family my pen anyway, no since trying to hide it.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Melinda

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    1. Hi, Melinda: You have a nice name. Sometimes, pen names are kinda confusing for the non-writer family members. Welcome!

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  2. Cute post, Vicki! I use my real name and people always ask if it's my Pen name!!

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    1. Hi, Ms. Buchbinder: Thanks, sweetie. I think your name sounds like book which is way cool. And totally relevant. oxoxo

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  3. Hi, Vicki, I use a pen name because my real married last name and my maiden name are both long, ethnic and hard for people to spell. I used my real name, Carolyn Matkowsky, when my first book was published because I'd worked so hard for that and I wanted people to know I'd done it. I ran into problems because most readers couldn't spell Matkowsky, although I think it's easy. I went with a pen name, Cara Marsi, that was short, easy and reflected my Italian heritage. Sometimes now I think I really am Cara Marsi.

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    1. Hi, Cara: Well you are Cara to me and Carolyn, but I've known you for a long while. I had a friend in college with a Polish last name. In our marketing class, the teacher went Wanda... pause... Wanda K. He didn't dare try. hugs

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  4. I use my real name for writing (well, except for a couple of stories that are a bit on the spicy side). But I made a mistake when I first started and just used "James Hartley." Unfortunately there are other writers with the same name so there can be confusion. Had I realized I would have used a different version of my real name ... I would have put "James M. Hartley Jr." on my writing. Too late to change now, I'm afraid.

    Jim Hartley (the way I sign casual friendly notes)
    linuxjim@programmer.net

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  5. Hi, Jim! Well, what a problem. And who knew there would be more than one James Hartley out there writing. I know my one friend mentioned how she came up with hers after perusing the internet and found her name to be quite common. But what did one do before the internet? We still love you anyway.

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  6. Vicki:
    Interesting discussion.
    Before I was married last year my name was Mitzi Flyte. At one of my first RWA conferences, someone thought that was a pen name. Nope. It's my real name. "Mitzi" was my nickname for more than 60 years and Flyte was the name of my first husband (and my daughter, so I didn't change after the divorce).
    Last June my name changed to Reinbold...huh? Really? Reinbold? Nope.
    I write under Mitzi Flyte.
    I'd been Mitzi Flyte for too many years and most people know me by that name. I want everyone to know I've written a book, two books, three...
    Mitzi Flyte Reinbold

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  7. Hi, Mitzi! I remembered when you married and often wondered about your Flyte name. It sounded unusual. I certainly don't know anyone with it. It does pair well with Mitzi and I wouldn't have changed either. Keep writing, hon. one, two, three will come!

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  8. Great post, Vicki! Have to wonder how your husband fared in grade school with that name. lol

    I use my real, married name, because by the time I'd started to write toward publication, I'd been married over ten years and I liked my married name. I also wanted everyone who knew me to know I'd written those books.

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  9. Hi, Susan and thank you! I asked Handsome because the tv show was very popular and yes, he got the teasing. They tend to pronounce as "Bat-mun." They sets off all other kinds of misspellings. I don't blame you one bit for wanting everyone to know you write. Be proud. And keep on. Hugs.

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  10. I use my real name too. I agree I wanted my brand identified with me. Great post!

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    1. Hi, Jeanine! I agree. Your name becomes your brand and is you. Thanks, sweetie.

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  11. Great topic Vicki. I must confess I have read your name as Bateman for a long time. Sorry, won’t do that anymore. I’ll remember you story and know it’s Batman.

    Jim, I can relate. I started out writing as Patricia A. Marinelli, my real name. I’d won a few contests and published a few articles and short stories. Then my daughter e-mailed me that she found my book at B&N.com. I didn’t have a book. I realized the author of a real crime NJ book was Patricia A. Martinelli, not Marinelli. Luckily, I could change my name before two stories of mine were to be published in The Crime Scene: New Jersey anthology. So I went with Pat Marinelli. Even got the website PatMarinelli.com. That’s when I discovered another Pat Marinelli is a heavy metal rocker.

    While I use Pat Marinelli as my byline, I use Patricia A. Marinelli for my copyright and payment. Big mistake on Amazon. I’m in the Snowbird Christmas anthology using my byline, but Amazon uses your copyright name for its searches. So if you search Pat Marinelli, I don’t come up, which reminds me I must e-mail the editor of Snowbird Christmas Volume 2 that I need to fix that. Oh, the life of a writer.

    Pat Marinelli

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    1. Hi, Pat! Oh my, what problems. I hope you get all straightened out. I won't say what happens when you search Handsome's whole name. It's quite *interesting*.

      Lol regarding Bateman. Everyone does it. I mean, who is named Batman? Besides the superhero guy. lolol

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  12. I use a pen name. If I had a cool name like Batman, I would totally use my real name though. :) My real name is rather plain, and I chose Alicia because it's close to my real name and I chose 'Dean' because that was my father's first name, and he passed away in '94, years before I was published, but he was a great supporter/encourager, so I thought it was fitting. It still feels like I'm seeing 'my' name on a book. I, my friends, and my family know it's me. And now I feel so much like Alicia Dean, sometimes I sign my family's birthday cards that way. And they love it. :) Enjoyed the post!

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  13. Hi, Alicia! I love how you came up with your name. And how it honors your father. That's totally cool.

    Yeah, I got lucky on the last name. But it does have its problems (see the Facebook story).

    One time, I ordered clothing from a catalog and the service person said how's that spelled? I said you know, Batman, like the superhero. nananana. She spelled back, "NA NA NA." I clutched my hair and groaned, thinking the education system in the U.S. needs help.

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  14. Great post, Vicki. Glad you cleared up for me about your name. I've been wondering about Batman. What a great name to own.
    An agent told me to use my own name because she said it rimes, sort of, if you pronounce my first name like Wayne or rain.

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  15. Hi, Rayne! and thank you for posting today. You didn't know? LOL I thought it funny at first, but hey, I had to live with it. So now, no problemo. And it puts me in the Bs in the alphabet shelving--now, if only I had a print book instead of just e-books... Maybe I'll hear soon about those submissions.

    I like how your name rhymes. And it is different; so you stand out. Thanks, sweetie.

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  16. Hi Vicki,
    You're lucky with your name! I'd love one like that! So memorable. I write under my married name. I wanted to do it because it was simple to remember and spell... of course I didn't think about how to pronounce it. I also get it said a few different ways.

    daringzoey@yahoo.com

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  17. Hi, Melissa! and Happy birthday today!!! LOL. I thought my last name strange but it was certainly better than my maiden name and no, I'm not saying. You have a unique last name. I'd keep it too. Eat cake!

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  18. Vicki, your last name is memorable and your first and last name together just flow so well together. Like you, I use my married name. My maiden name isn't nearly as pretty as the one that came with the wedding bad. :)

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  19. I have a habit of referring to you as "Vicki Bateman" -- then, have to go back and correct myself.

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  20. Well slap me silly! Never did I connect your name with the Caped Crusader. I guess because I accent the first syllable of your name and accent both syllables of Bruce Wayne's alter ego. But I love the story of you being in the news. Very cook!

    I'm writing under a pseudonym -- last name only though. My last name, which I didn't change after my divorce because it's my kids' name too, is always mispronounced and misspelled. My maiden name isn't any better. So I delved into my family tree and decided to use my maternal great-grandmother's maiden name, Baxter. Fortunately the URL for that name was available and I've been working for a couple weeks to get a website up and running and set up a new Facebook and Twitter account. Some days I feel like Sybil -- too many personalities. LOL!

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  21. Hi, Sheila! First: I ADORE this woman. And thank you so much. Yeah, Batman is way better than the maiden one. Hugs, my sweet.

    Hi, Angela! LOLOL. But everyone does that so don't beat yourself up too much. ox

    Hi, Marilyn, I didn't know you were changing to Baxter, but I like it. I think you are right, you have to have a pretty easy name and Baxter will fit nicely on a cover. Hugs, my friend.

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  22. Hey, Vicki. I use my real name. Even get to keep the R. in the middle. When I was setting up my website the first time, I just used Marsha West because people said it would be simpler. But then I started doing some search on the name and decided I needed to differentiate myself from the person who popped up. We couldn't have been more different. I was happy to add the R as a tribute to my parents. I've just been around so long, I figured that really increased my chances of folks knowing it was me. :) Love your "Batman" story. I'm assuming he's not really a decendant of the caped crusader.LOL What's the background on the last name.?

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  23. Hi, Marsha! I like your R in your name. It does individualize you. Batman comes from England. It's either a "batman" in cricket or an officer's assistant. Thank you for sharing.

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  24. Great article Vicki and I'm the one whose husband insisted I use my real name because he wanted everyone to know his wife was an author. He's a keeper.

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  25. Hi, Sylvia! And you have a great real name and you are right he's a keeper. I've heard you on the phone, you know.... lol hugs

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  26. Liz is a short version of my real name. Crowe is my married name. It didn't really occur to me to use a pen name as an author but thanks for sharing your story!

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    1. Hi, Liz! It didn't occur to me to use a different name because mine's rather catchy. However, when everyone began the talk about different names for different genres, I thought of two. They aren't nearly as much fun, though. Thanks for stopping.

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  27. The comments are fun to read too! My name is Cathy Superman. Just kidding although I was just on Maui and met a family clad in blue T-shirts with big "S"'s on the front and their last name was Supergan. I think your name is going to get you a ton of attention, Vicki.

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  28. Oops, I mean your great name is so easy to remember and that's got to be a good thing for authors, right?

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  29. Everyone says my name, Waverly Fitzgerald, makes a great author name. However, I've only written one book under that name. My earlier historical romances were written when my name was still Nancy Fitzgerald. And when I started writing humorous mysteries about a talking Chihuahua with my friend Curt Colbert, our editor at Kensington said we had to come up with a pen name and it had to be female. So we combined our first names to come up with Waverly Curtis. I feel like I have three personalities.

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  30. Hi, Kim! No one really believes my name is for real. And airport security where it's supposed to be tight and those TSA agents are formidable always comment on what a cool last name. Thanks, Kim, and hey, superman works for me. I knew a Gladman.

    Hi, Waverly! And I love your first name. I can't imagine juggling 3 names and would feel like I had head issues with the personalities. So kudos to you! Does it take a lot of coffee for management. VBG Happy writing!

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  31. hey Vicki! Sorry I'm just getting around to this, but I was out of state for a while and I'm trying to catch up.

    I don't use a pen name. I guess I can consider it a branding thing. I write "Fictional Romance with a Cajun flair!" and I have CAJUNFLAIR PUBLISHING, I add a lot of Cajun French food, music, language and customs into my writing, so obviously, I'm proud of my Cajun heritage. My last name is most definitely French/Cajun so I decided to keep it. By the way, it's pronounced LAY'-jhay...not LEE-ger. My maiden name was Hebert, which is pronounced AY-bear, not HEE-bert. See? French. Cajun French, so it fits in with my style of writing and my branding. I don't write erotica anyway, so my mom has no reason to hide me away. LOL! Besides, this way, if I ever decide to write in another genre, I can always use a pen name. My daughters have long decided what it will be...Lauren Gail...their two middle names.

    Great post Vicki!

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  32. Hi, Lori! I came to announce the winner and found you here. I thought you would be le jay, that's the way I would say in French. and I'd say Hebert like you do. We tend to butcher and change in the good ol' US sometimes. Thank you for posting and keep writing.


    BTW, Christine had me do a drawing for the winner and only two people posted their emails. lol Jim Hartley is the winner of the Amazon gift card. Thank you, Jim, for stopping and to Christine for the donation. Hugs!

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