In general, there is a lot of confusion regarding my decision to segregate my works by pen name. I’ve explained the why of it here and there, but the confusion persists… so let’s try to dispel that, shall we?
I have selected a picture of antelopes doing antelope things in Wyoming for this picture. Until I took this photo, I had never seen an antelope before. Antelope had, for the most part, existed as beasts as mystical as unicorns.
We saw hundreds of antelope during the drive, and they were a delight each and every time… even the few that were right next to the road and contemplating suicide into traffic. (No antelopes were hurt during the trip.)
My husband is not thrilled by my new desire to go hunt antelope with my camera.
Anyway, back to the subject.
Pen names are a huge part of why I’ve been able to sustain a career. First, it lets me match readers with the type of books they want to read. Here’s a harsh reality of being a writer: readers tend to be loyal to the death to their one series by an author. I could write twenty different series under one pen name, and the majority of readers would stick to just one. I see this hella often with my books. The witch & wolf readers refuse to try the magical romantic comedy books… they are too different. Magical romantic comedy readers won’t try Jesse Alexander… it’s too serious. Vigilante Magical Librarian readers won’t try Witch & Wolf because they prefer cats over dogs.
However… a reader who reads the Vigilante Magical Librarians series might give Royal States a try because they are presented as its own thing, safely segregated away from the thing they like.
Don’t ask me why this is… it just is. I’ve spoken to hundreds upon hundreds of readers during my time as an author, and this same trend crops up.
They’re loyal to the death to their one series… but they might try something else if it is under a different pen name.
It’s different, and it’s easier for them to accept this is a different thing. The pen name significantly helps with that.
Susan Copperfield is not R.J. Blain… and does not write in the same worlds as R.J. Blain.
The tone is different.
The vibe is different.
Everything about it, including sub-genre, is different.
They appeal to completely different audiences.
My decision to use numerous pen names, which I openly acknowledge as mine, allows me to put the power in the hands of the readers. When I make a new pen name, there is something significantly different about the series.
Let me use Susan Copperfield, G.P. Robbins, and Lilith Daniels as examples.
Susan exists to delve into the world of princes, princesses, kings, and queens, wrapped in a blanket of social issues with magic as a backdrop, although the magic sometimes takes center stage. In many ways, magic takes the backseat and allows the emotions of people with magic to shine through. They are both defined by their magic and defy their magic.
The books are meant to tug at the heart strings while leaving a sense of warm fuzzies and social justice acquired in its wake.
Then you have G.P., who is as far away from Susan on the reading spectrum as possible. There are bodies, gore, law enforcement doing a hard job, and characters with hearts of gold getting blood on their hands to save as many lives as possible. This series delves into thriller mystery territory, and the magic is the star. You can’t take a step without tripping over magic. It define everything within the world.
Then you have Lilith, where the dragons are the main star of the show along with the carbunclo and other magical companion critters. This takes the same law enforcement vibe of G.P., but softens it for those who want a gentle ride rather than a roller coaster.
Readers who like Susan probably won’t like G.P.; they’re too far apart from each other in terms of tone and content. Some Susan readers might like Lilith, but only for certain elements, like the carbunclo and the family dynamics.
I have plenty of Susan readers who will not touch R.J. Blain books because they’re too far away on the spectrum for what they enjoy. The Mag Rom Com series is “too silly” or too “ridiculous” for their tastes; they’re after more serious books with only a touch of humor. But they might check out Lilith’s books because the humor, while there, is buried in intrigue and family life.
Yes, there are readers who read everything… and you all are hugely appreciated!
But if I were to cater to those who want to read everything, I would not have a career. It would crash and burn. Why?
The people who want books like Susan writes would stop and abandon ship because I’m working on too much other garbage they don’t want to read. When I separate them, they can click “follow” on their favorite of them and ignore the rest.
They don’t have to care about what R.J. Blain is doing. They follow Susan, and that makes them happy.
By doing this, I make sure I can keep on trucking.
I can’t adapt my model for the minority… and maybe 2% of my readers read everything I write. (And while I hella appreciate that 2% of readers, I simply cannot sink the ship for those people who wish I would just abandon pen names and release everything under one name.)
I’m not going to apologize for this, because it was a needed and necessary choice so I can keep writing.
It is a choice between “pleasing the 2%” and “keeping everything separate and allowing readers to decide what they like.”
Seriously, I adore every last one of you who buys everything. You’re a special bunch!
Had I been better at how this career works, I would have separated Witch & Wolf off from R.J. Blain (or made the Mag Rom Com books under their own name. Alas, it’s too late for that.) Had I been better at this career, I would have also separated out Jesse and Janette, although admittedly, I would have grouped those fine ladies and their friends together. They are different yet similar in terms of tone. They vibe nicely together in my opinion.)
So, here’s a guide to my pen names, written from the perspective of the author, who needs to match a type of reader to a type of book:
R.J. Blain: Irreverent humor, shark jumping fun with werewolves and more. These books are all designed to facilitate hella escapism. When I write the books, I try to make the worldbuilding the star, meant to give readers every tool needed to escape from our world and step into theirs for a while.
R.J. keeps a little black book of people she’s made choke due to laughter and food or beverages being involved while reading. R.J. likes destroying her favorite cars and showcasing both loved and hated foods in her books.
Susan Copperfield: Feel good socio-political paranormal meant to appeal to those who want more intrigue than action but also want a sense of magic in the world. Escapism is a thing, but the vibe of the books is meant to be “long lost friends getting together and having a story, one that usually results in a soft happily ever after.
Susan collects the tears of readers and stores them in a crystal vial to use as spell components.
Lilith Daniels: Shark jumping with dragons is the star of the show for Lilith. Murder, mayhem, mystery, and a slow burn everything with minimal stressors is the flavor of the hour. Pets take over this series, and the dragons will surely be outnumbered.
Lilith wants all the pets, and she’s willing to share them with you.
Bernadette Franklin: Take the magic out of the magical romantic comedy (with a body count) series and make the Devil a woman with ADHD, and you have the Bernadette Franklin books.
A lot of R.J. Blain readers will NOT touch these books because there is no magic… and the Bernadette Franklin readers will NOT touch R.J. Blain because there is magic.
But the vibe, the tone, and the joy of found family is shared between these books.
Bernadette treats joy like glitter and flings it around with wild abandon.
Bernadette is the definition of fantasy fulfillment.
G.P. Robbins: Unicorns, Dragons, and Mysteries, oh my! How much trouble can a station of single male cops get into? The men aren’t leaving single, and the women tend to be secretive, sharks in bloodied water just waiting for a chance to sink their teeth into delicious magic males.
But without the on page sex and a primary focus on the mystery, thrillers, and shenanigans.
This series takes on the pace of life, allowing the plot to reflect more of the dismal realities of investigation with a whole lot of magic mixed in.
Oh, and a fuckton of serial killers, because why the fuck not?
G.P. collects souls, sprinkles them with glitter, and runs off with all the gemstones while laughing manically. You cannot trust G.P.; G.P. will take your favorite characters and do terrible things to them… and make you like it.
Everybody vibes differently, and vibes sell books. And when you have the wrong vibe under the same pen name, books don’t sell.
Books not selling means the author of the book has to go find different work. As such, we embrace the vibes and the pen names, as it keeps the ships all floating.
The vibes must vibe in safe places… and then the author markets the vibes to the people interested in those vibes, and everyone (except the 2%) is made happy.
I hope this helps clarify things a little.
You may have answered this years ago and I can’t find the post.
This is not a question to hassle you but more to put my optimistic hopes of another book to bed.
What happened to the trillion Anderson pen name.
Absolutely hanging out for another book for dawn of the dae.
She was merged with R.J. Blain, and I’ll get to the remaining books eventually. (That series is among my worst earners, so while I’ll finish, it’s very much last in line for priority.)
I just had a re-read/ listening of those books. I know now I can’t reread it without hearing Colby. I really love Colby.
I read everything you write. Under all names if I know it is you. One of my favorite writers.
As someone who reads everything you write I fall in the 2%, however I couldn’t care less about which pen name is used. As long as you tell me which ones are you, I will continue to buy, read and re-read (and re-read and re-read) them. Thanks for everything! 😊
Me, too. I haven’t missed a book yet (although one of the November books will have to wait until December because budget.) I am currently reading every Susan Copperfield book, and when I am done, I will either start Magical Romantic Comedies, or the Wolf and Witch. It will depend on my mental state.
I’m in the 2% Rereader Club too. Thank you RJ, so much for the laughs, a few tears, and the best books ever!
Girl! Some of us have such a broad reading genrea that we literally have every pen name you write under and love them ALL!
That would be me. I read from straight up horror all the way to educational documentary books and EVERTHING in between. So while I understand the whole pen name thing the stamp of your writing style flows thru all your work as an author.
I had 3 different pen names of your by accident and recognized the writing style, they felt the same. So I went hunting because I couldn’t figure out how 3 different authors had the same style, that’s how I found your blog and your pen names. Then I hunted down every book that you wrote under every pen, voraciously read them and love them all. Now I excitedly wait for new books and reread entire series when the new book comes out…so much fun.
So while I get the whole pen name thing, please make sure to list all pen names and books in your beginning or end. You would be surprised how many of us will go looking.
… the pen names are literally listed in the back of the books already.
Than I am an idiot and I apologize. I never saw them. My only excuse is I get excited reading and become a literal idiot absorbed in the world you wrote. So very sorry.
Yep, that’s *exactly* what happens! People get excited and just skip to find the next book. The “about the author” is basically ignored by just about everybody lololol
You’re not an idiot, you just happened to demonstrate the problem nicely. hehehehe
So yes, you can already find that information right in the back of most books. (one or two might not have it, but when they don’t, it’s because I forgot to copy-paste it in.) It’s on the very last page of the titles under the “About the Author” section… people really do not actually look for the information in the book. (I started adding the list of pen names about 3 years ago, and people still have no clue.)
For example, this is in the back of Dead Weight (GP Robbins):
G.P. Robbins lives in California, serving two feline overladies and sharing a domicile with another human.
* * * G.P. Robbins is a pen name of R.J. Blain. RJ also writes as Susan Copperfield, Bernadette Franklin, Audrey Greene, G.P. Robbins, and Lilith Daniels. Visit RJ and her pets (the Management) at thesneakykittycritic.com. RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.
When she isn’t playing pretend, she likes to think she’s a cartographer and a sumi-e painter.
In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Should that fail, her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until she is satisfied.
RJ also writes as Susan Copperfield, Bernadette Franklin, Audrey Greene, G.P. Robbins, and Lilith Daniels. Visit RJ and her pets (the Management) at thesneakykittycritic.com.
* * * Follow RJ & her alter egos on Bookbub:
RJ Blain
Susan Copperfield
Bernadette Franklin
G.P. Robbins
Audrey Greene
Lilith Daniels
Yea I found the blog thru your author bio on mag ROM com. By then I already had benaddet and Susan Copperfield. I went hunting the rest.
Still I am a story idiot and get obsessed with them. Your are extremely good. And sorry again for being an idiot. Love your bio tho. But no James Bond…PLEASE!
Awwwwwwwwww! but but but it would be FUN.
Nooooooo!
Fall an floor crying 😭😭 (laughing hysterically)
ONLY if you can pull off the accents! 😝
I never thought I’d be a 2%-er!!! But I do love alllll your books!
I love all of them. Thank you! Also, I live in Wyoming, and I’m glad you like the antelope. There are LOTS of them. Everywhere. All the time. If we could export some to you…. The babies are really cute, though.
I never thought I’d be a 2%-er!!! But I love allll your books!
So happy that you have all your aliases and are able to keep your writing career going strong. All the stories… thank you!
Interesting policy of pen-names. I may not be in that 2%, but I like more than one series and am intrigued by the others. So, thank you for explaining how you do your pen-names. And I’ll look at your other stuff and see if it catches my interest. Keep up the work, and I’ll try to be patient and wait for you to throw the next installments at us!
Thank you so much for explaining this!!!
I appear to be part of the 2% of your readership (who knew it was so small?!) but I could care less how many pen names you have – as long as you share them all. I can quite easily catalogue all your books together on my e-reader and be a very happy reader. You are not the only author with multiple pen names who I read all they write, but you were, thank you very much, the most up-front about the multiple names and are hence the easiest to buy.
Oh, I LIKE the pen names! And I have to confess I’m one of the 2%. (Blush) But the pen names are like the bestest scavenger hunt, searching out what name you’re writing under next – and absolutely REVELING in how each one does have a different vibe – but underneath is recognizably … you. So, you really aren’t catering to the 2%, and that’s just fine. But the 2% are coming after you, in all your glorious diversity packed into one author. Thank you (because that really is catering to us).
As a member of the 2%, the various personas do not bother me at all. I can fan girl for all the ladies.
And yes, I forgot Audrey Greene, but she’s so weird on her vibes I don’t even know how to describe her vibe. (I’m too tired from my trip…)
Audrey is sweet but silly, mildly adventurous with underlying seriousness, but enough snark and silly to be the major part of her vibe. One that I re-read the most when I have a rough day and just want a world where everything will turn out right anyway in spite of any dire obstacles.
I’m one of the people who reads everything you write, regardless of the pen name. I am just happy you write books!! I truly enjoy them, and I patiently wait for your next story. Oh, and reread them in the meantime. Thank you for dealing with all the hassles of being an author!
Ha, never thought I’d be a 2%er but there I be. But I am the child of a librarian and read every book she brought home while studying for her library of science degree in college and I was in grade school. 🤷♀️ I love all your series and all your worlds! And totally get the economics of your plan. You gotta do what works! Thank you for your diligence as an author with a plan and love your photos as well!👍
I like 85-89 % of what you write. Some of the other books display a lack of courage to try the last types of books. Silly, I know, but I like what I like.
Al Smith
I love that you have different names, it’s like going to Disneyland for the first time as a child. Exploring a land then finding out there is another land totally different but just as fun and exciting just in a different way. It’s your sense of humor and snark that I look forward to reading. Thank you for all that you do.
I think I’m part of both the 98% and the 2% of readers, generally speaking at least. I don’t know if this is my opinion only but… bottom line is, not every author out there is capable (some at all… some are on their journey there) of pulling off what you do. Different worlds and different vibes, but under all of it you can still feel the vibe that is you, the person behind the words and THAT is actually what I’ve come to love about your work. The fact you have several pen names actually cemented that for me and made me look past the magical romantic comedy (with a body count). So yeah, it may be confusing sometimes but I just head over here to check. So… actually, thank you for that♥️. Your strategy worked well with how my brain tends to work🤷🏻♀️🤭
Ps: I am soooo happy that Lilith beat the pre-release data that didn’t offer much positivity. There is something about that pen name + cover + Kinsley&dragons that gave me a good vibe before I even got to the first line of the the sneak peek you posted here 🤷🏻♀️
I’m one of the 2% but as long as I know which pen names belong to RJ then I’m happy.
As a 2 percent reader I appreciate your guide to pen names. Of course I have favorites but enjoying the differences stretches my tastes and that is important as a reader. Thank you.
Hi, I’m one of the 2% too…I like the different pen names because it does give me an idea of the tone of that book..Keep doing what you do and wr will read it. Proof in the fact mostly 2%ers replay to this post…We read everything..lol
Have a great day💜💚
Hmmmmm. Sounds like we 2%ers are also primary readers of the blog! I’m glad to be in such good company as I, too, read and reread. Please just keep writing so we can all mix some new in with the old. 🙂
Yeah, that’s usually how it goes. (But, for some food for thought, this thread has 36 comments including this one, and it’s primarily the ‘2%’ crowd; the numbers of the “read everything” people truly is low.)
I feel everyone tends to think everyone else is just like them in terms of reading behavior.
Different pen names works for me. Jayne Ann Krentz had to do the same thing for her paranormal books.
Different pen names work great, it means I can sort all the different series by pen name which means I can find them easier… also many thanks on everything you write, I am part of the 2%, but I am the part that enjoys the names 😀
Thanks for the explanation.
As one of the 2%, I advance my unpopular opinion that the pen names help keep my reading adventures organised.
For which I ALSO thank you!
I’m also in the 2%, I love all of your books. The Royal States got me through Covid.
I guess I am now one of the 2%, I have managed to read and enjoy almost everything you give us, and now I have picked up my 1st Bernadette Franklin book. I am a ecclectic reader, so I do enjoy your works (all of them). Thank you for sharing your stories with us.