Pen Name

A false name or pseudonym used as the byline for publication or online.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

To give variety where the same writer has several pieces in one issue of a fanzine, to conceal the author's identity, or just because he likes the sound of the name, pen names may be used; the former purpose is a mere borrowing from the proz, which follow it as a policy. Much ink was shed over the question whether they should be used freely, such counter-arguments being presented as: the reader has the right to know who's writing a piece; new fans are likely to get mistaken ideas of the size of fandom (or some sections of it, like the Futurians who used umpteen penames of the Conway family); that it hampers club officials in determining activity credits; ktp. But still they come. Some have been deep mysteries, and much speculation preceded their identification; others have seemed to be separate new fans, but turn out to be hoaxes. Something special is the house name, a device of the proz under which hack-written stuff is tagged with a name belonging to the mag rather'n the author, like "Alexander Blade" in the Ziff Davis pulps. Here, too, we may note that fans have sometimes used interconnected penames, as Lynn Hickman's "Plato Jones" which provoked DAG to take the byline "Socrates Smith" and Mary Wilson, "Pancho Picasso".

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

To give variety where the same writer has several pieces in one issue of a fanzine, or just because he likes the sound of the name, pen names are often used. Much ink has been shed over the question of whether they should be used so freely, it being maintained that the reader has a right to know who's writing a piece, that no fans are likely to get mistaken ideas of the size of fandom or some section of it, and that it hampers the secretary of the FAPA in determining activity credentials and the Laureate Committee in giving honors. But still they come. Certain ones, such as Solitaire, Azygous, Star-Treader, the Professor, and the S-F Cynic, have been made deep mysteries, and much speculation preceded their identification. Others have seemed to be separate new fans but turned out to be hoaxes. The penames whose identity is not concealed are a mutation of the fan's name, and entirely new name thot up, or descriptive of some characteristic real or imaginary. Jack Erman, Lawrence Paschall, Thomas G. Robertson, J. Harry Vincent, Erick Freyor, and Pvt Ack-Ack are of the firstype; Sears Langell, Brazton Wells, Robert Bahr, Weaver Wright, Allen Zweig, Samuel D. Gottesman, F. Stanislaus Prosody, Roy St John Le Claire, and the Conways are the second; and Hoy Ping Pong, Claire Voyant, Erdstelulov, (Himself), Dr Acula, Vermyn Slinko, Satyricus, Sinn-yk-uhss, and Panurge of the third. Many penames are nonce-words and not worth compiling. Others may become indistinguishable from nicknames.

---

Publishing