I have been trying to work out what to call myself when I get published. This may be a small problem in the grand scheme of things, but, as an author, it’s important.
My married name is Khalinsky, my maiden name is Gijsbers. Both are European and they are hard to spell if you don’t know how they are spelt. My Mum has a page of mis-spellings of Gijsbers, all are genuine!!
When I first got married and was sending my manuscript to publishers, I would use “Khalinsky-Gijsbers”. Now, that was a mouthful.
I’ve been thinking about it a bit. If people can’t spell my surname, will that make it harder for people to find my books, especially if they don’t know the titles?
At a gathering of a Christian Writers group I met through Facebook, someone suggested using my mother’s maiden name, Pickering. So, I’d write under the name “Melissa Pickering”.
I’m still undecided, so I thought I’d put it out there and see what you thought. After all, if you’re following my journey, I’m hoping you’ll want to read my books.
So, what’s in a name? Does it help to have a name that is easy to spell? Does anyone else have a pen name & how does that impact on publishing?
