Why did I decide to publish with a pen name?

Every time a writer finds himself writing and wanting to publish his work he starts to think if to use his real name or a pen name. 

Well, I am one of those that decided to use a pen name, in fact, Klaren O'Connor is not my real name but a name that I've been using since I was like 12 for quite everything, to subscribe in games, to talk in room chats, and also my friends started calling me Klaren, I just loved how this name sounded and I thought of using it for my books. 

Now, the reasons why, I have a lot of reasons why I decided to publish my books with a pen name instead of my legal name and the first one is privacy. 

Obviously, I've never thought about becoming a super famous writer, with million of sold copies, I thought it was a lot if I've sold fifty, but still I didn't want my name put out there, since I am also on social medias, I have a twitter account, a YouTube channel (that I don't really use), an Instagram account, I have this blog, I just didn't want my name to be everywhere because in Italy if you are looking for a job, the first thing that your future boss will do is google your name, and if he finds some things that he doesn't like... you are not hired. 

I know that I am not doing anything illegal but, we never know what a dirty mind could think. 

The second reason why I decided to use a pen name is that I am soooooooo shy and I didn't want anyone that I know to know that I have published a book, especially since my book is self published, the first thing that someone would think if you tell them that you are self pub is that you were not good enough to be traditionally published, which is not true in most of the cases, there are a lot more motivations why an author decides to self pub, and not being good enough for a publishing house is not one of them, at least in most cases. 

So, just privacy but not wanting to have people that I know, know that I published a book, also I am so superstitious and I believe in courses and in the law of attraction, maybe you've read it in my Book of shadows that I'll link you here, If someone thinks a lot negatively of you because they are jealous or who knows, they will ruin your plans with their bad energies, some of the people I know know that I am self published but they don't know the title nor the name that I've published my book with, they don't know this blog, they know nothing. 

The last reason is racism.

In Italy it's a thing in small villages and I am Arabian, with an Arabian name, I was afraid that If I used my real name someone could not read my book thinking "She probably doesn't know how to speak or write properly" even if I'm the best in my writing course. 

But racism is my minor issue, I just had a friend telling me this, she said "There are some ignorant people, they will judge you by your name." and maybe she was right, I don't know this since I used a pen name. 

So at the end I suggest that you use a pen name if you want to keep your privacy, if you don't want to be recognized, and if you don't like your legal name, whatever reason you have, it's not a bad thing. 

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Klaren O'Connor

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