We\u2019ll be answering with a blog post to cover all possible solutions to achieve a private life, yet have a public following. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pseudonyms\/Pen Names<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to separate the writer\u2019s life from the writing is by using a pen name. Pen names have been used to hide the writer\u2019s true identity for a myriad of reasons. It could also be used to stand out when one\u2019s real name is hard to differentiate in the crowd (Think: Dan Smith).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pen names allow the writer to indulge in the fantasy of being someone else, so they can write a book in a genre they normally don\u2019t write in, for example. Like film credits, it's worthwhile looking carefully at announced names. Who, after all, is the real author behind MOO<\/em>, Exisle\u2019s forthcoming book for lovers of cows? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Women used male names so they could have a better chance of their writing being read by everyone, not just women. You read that right. Even in our present time, male readers prefer male writers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a Guardian article<\/a> by MA Sieghart, she writes, \u201cFor the top 10 bestselling female authors (who include Jane Austen and Margaret Atwood<\/a>, as well as Danielle Steel and Jojo Moyes), only 19% of their readers are men and 81%, women. But for the top 10 bestselling male authors (who include Charles Dickens and JRR Tolkien, as well as Lee Child and Stephen King), the split is much more even: 55% men and 45% women.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly enough, J.K. Rowling used a male pen name after publishing her Harry Potter series, using that pen name to write crime novels. Word got out and soon her real identity was revealed by a colleague\u2019s wife\u2019s best friend (the way news spreads!) and then blasted in the newspapers. In 2016, Elena Ferrante, who achieved stardom with her brilliant Neapolitan novels, had an Italian journalist determined to reveal her true identity, but there isn\u2019t confirmation that he\u2019s right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In an article<\/a> by Laila Lalami, a Moroccan-American novelist, she explores the public writer versus the private self. She writes, \u201cThe greatest surprise for me has been how curious people are about the person behind the work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pseudonyms can offer space between you and your writing, allowing the writing to stand alone, but there is a chance for curious readers to dig deep and expose who is really behind the writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using pen names also leaves out the possibility for social media. Elena Ferrante, as mentioned before, is nonexistent on social media. She lets her publishers do the marketing and stays completely out of public view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Public Figures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When we think of public figures we imagine movie stars and famous singers, but writers are also viewed by the public eye. When a writer shares their personal views online, there is a chance of excluding readers who may see the book as synonymous to the writer\u2019s identity and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some writers like Neil Gaiman, fiction writer, or Terry Tempest Williams, nonfiction writer, are comfortable sharing their personal lives with the public, sharing their political opinions or pictures of their children online. Their writing personas have melded with their private selves. But that\u2019s not for everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lalami shares that \u201cthere is greater curiosity about the personal life of a woman writer, and about connections between her private life and her work.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many writers create and find a boundary between themselves and their writing, despite outside attempts to join the two. Lalami continues, \u201cBut I have also learned to deflect personal questions, which blur the lines between public and private. So I talk about my books, I sign them for readers, I pose for pictures. Then I can go home, reclaim my private self, and return to the work I love: writing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When thinking of your virtual presence as a writer, it is useful to consider how you want to present yourself to the world. If you prefer to highlight your writing career rather than personal details, then your social media should be used to share your publications, reading events, and any other writerly news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can think of your social media as a marketing strategy, selling your writing rather than yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An example of this would be Exisle Publishing author, Karen Fischer. She has multiple instagram accounts, focusing on keeping her private life, private. As seen below, Karen redirects her book fans to her public account on her private profile. This ensures that her private and public life don\u2019t intersect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her public profile is completely focused on her author persona, using Instagram as a way to promote her books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Karen\u2019s public profile is available for her to interact with her followers (and readers), ensuring the conversation is about her expertise and not the personal details of her weekend, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Online Presence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Separating a writer from their work requires using social media as a marketing tool. Posts should be about the book and any media events surrounding it. To see how different writers use social media, you can check out our previously published post, \u201cNavigating Social Media as a Writer<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting up profiles, such as an \u201cAuthor Page\u201d on Facebook, to focus on your writing career will allow you to create a clear boundary between your personal life and the public writer persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Terry Tempest Williams, it makes sense to share her political beliefs as she calls herself a conservationist, melding the private and personal due to the topics she is writing about. This works to boost her presence in not only the literary community but with other communities that share her same values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is ultimately your decision how you want your followers to view you, but by interacting with the online community, the followers you\u2019ll have will know they are following You, a Published Writer. And they\u2019ll (hopefully) leave it at that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/exisleacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/kf-private.png\")
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