In April, Megan Nikole asked questions regarding the use of pseudonyms on Twitter, as she struggled with whether or not to deal with multiple author “brands.”
Given that she writes in two disparate genres and doesn’t wish to give her readers of her mysteries a shock when she writes gory thrillers, but didn’t want to have to maintain two separate identities online, I recommended she consider using a pseudonym that separates the two genres of books, but advertise them together on a single web site.
I referred to this as a “soft pseudonym,” for there was not attempt at anonymity, but rather, a way to help readers discern whether or not they wished to pick up her latest book. Those who enjoy cozying up to a nuanced mystery, might not want to plunge into the shock of a thriller filled with gore.
For similar reasons, I have a pseudonym for my strictly erotic content, but since I do wish to maintain some level of anonymity between my legal name (this one) and the hardcore writing, I must put in the extra effort to maintain an extra web site, Twitter account, and Facebook page to ensure their separation.
If you’re delving into these same questions, consider how much effort you wish to put in to developing and maintaining two brands, and whether the content of your writing necessitates separation. The soft pseudonym approach might allow you to avoid upsetting fans of one genre without having to put in much additional effort toward marketing than you do for a single author brand.