Pen Names and Gender Anonymity (Podcast)

Writing Podcast Episode 22 - Using Pen Names of a Different Gender

This week on the All Freelance Writing Podcast, I tackle a question from Jeremy Tarrier. He was curious about how a writer might protect gender anonymity when writing under a pen name (or if it's really even a problem).

Listen now.

This was an interesting topic for me because I actually have the opposite problem: I write under an ambiguous pen name that could easily be mistaken for a male, but I want it very clear in the horror genre that I'm a female. In the episode, I explain why I ended up in that position and share some thoughts on writing under gender neutral pen names in general.

I also explain why, in the majority of cases, I don't think writers should be overly concerned about keeping their gender top secret. And I'll explain how Jeremy's idea of using technology to mask your gender could actually backfire.

If you've been in the position of writing under a pen name of another gender, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Was it important to you that your gender stay an absolute secret? Were you ever "found out?" (And if so, were you prepared for that?). How did that secrecy impact your ability to market your books?

Listen now.

Jennifer Mattern is a professional blogger, freelance business writer, consultant, and indie author. She runs numerous websites & blogs including All Freelance Writing, Freelance Writing Pros, NakedPR, and Kiss My Biz.

Jenn has over 20 years' experience as a professional writer and editor and over 20 years' experience in marketing and PR (working heavily in digital PR, online marketing, social media, SEO, new media, and thought leadership publication). She also has 19 years' professional blogging and web publishing experience (including web development) and around 17 years of experience as an indie author / publisher.

Jenn also writes fiction under multiple pen names and is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association.

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