Romance novelist Jayne Anne Krentz has churned out books under three separate names since 1979. As USA Today notes, these names establish three separate literary worlds: Jayne Ann Krentz for romantic suspense, Amanda Quick for historical fiction and Jayne Castle for futuristic science fiction. But this wasn’t Krentz’s original plan. “Trust me, I did not set out to establish three pen names … The idea back at the start was that I would stick with the name that proved most successful,” she told USA Today. But eventually, these identities just kind of evolved until they stuck, giving the author room to develop distinct types of plots. This trio of pseudonyms seems to be working for Krentz, as she’s been successful with all three. Still, she says, “I do not recommend it as a career strategy.”
Famous Authors with Secret Pseudonyms
J.K. Rowling revealed on Sunday that she wrote an acclaimed crime novel under a pen name. From Stephen King to the Brontë sisters, here are nine other authors who hid their alter egos
Jayne Anne Krentz (Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle)
Full List
Author pseudonyms
- J.K. Rowling (Robert Galbraith)
- Joe Klein (Anonymous)
- Nora Roberts (J.D. Robb)
- Ruth Rendell (Barbara Vine)
- Anne Rice (Anne Rampling, A.N. Roquelaure)
- Jayne Anne Krentz (Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle)
- Stephen King (Richard Bachman)
- Evan Hunter (Ed McBain)
- Louisa May Alcott (A.M. Barnard)
- Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë (Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell)