Book Coach Mindy Gibbins-Klein aka The Book Midwife® is urging those considering writing anonymously to think carefully about the reasons they do not want to be identified and the consequences of people finding out their true identity later on, before they embark on writing anonymously.
“I’ve never been a fan of pseudo names or ghost writing, because I believe that you need to be authentic as a writer and part of this is about you as a person as much as the writing itself. But if you do feel the need to write under a different name, you just need to be aware that your true identity will come out at some point and then you’ll have to deal with any repercussions of that when it does,” says Ms. Gibbins-Klein.
Ms. Gibbins-Klein believes that like Belle de Jour author Dr Brooke Magnanti, it becomes increasingly difficult to continue with these parallel identities indefinitely and eventually, either the author chooses to reveal themselves or worse, they are ‘exposed’ by a third party. Either scenario could have dire consequences for the reputation of the author and their businesses if not managed carefully.
“The advent of the web and increasing use of blogging means that the world of writing has taken on a whole new persona and needs to be harnessed effectively. The Belle de Jour story illustrates the permanent nature of the web and how easy it is to bring past writings to the forefront, regardless of how the author’s situation may have changed. The best thing to do is ensure that everything you write has a reason and is working towards your overall writing strategy. If you want to be a published author in that area, great, but if your subject matter may be in conflict with your career aspirations, it would be foolish to assume it will just fade away, it could resurface at the worst possible time,” says Ms. Gibbins-Klein.
ENDS
