Why I Chose to Publish Under a Pen Name — and How It Strengthens My Brand

Writing is many things: creativity, craft, escape — and, increasingly, brand identity. Over the years I’ve discovered that using different author names for different kinds of stories is more than a convenience. It’s a deliberate strategy that helps me stay true to each genre’s spirit and meet reader expectations without confusion. That’s why I write cosy mysteries, mysteries, and thrillers under Chris Hills Farrow (my real name), and fantasy and science-fiction under Orlan Drake. Here’s why that choice makes sense — and why I believe it strengthens both “brands.”

🎯 Why Authors Use Pen Names — Especially When Writing Across Genres

Authors adopt pen names for many reasons: privacy, anonymity, or a desire to separate different writing identities. A pseudonym can give a writer the freedom to explore different genres, writing styles, or themes under distinct “masks.”

But beyond privacy or anonymity, there is a strong branding and marketing logic to pen names — especially when an author works across genres.

🧩 Genre Separation: Because Readers Expect Consistency

One of the biggest benefits of using separate pen names is helping readers know exactly what to expect.

• If a fan picks up a book by Chris Hills Farrow, they can expect a cozy mystery — perhaps gentle suspense, small-town settings, riddles to solve, quirky characters — or, depending on the book, a more traditional mystery or a darker thriller.
• If they pick up a book by Orlan Drake, they know they’re entering imaginative worlds of fantasy or science-fiction: new rules, new worlds, speculative technologies or magic, maybe explorations of what it means to be human in a strange future or alternate reality.

When authors mix genres under one name, it can muddle reader expectations. What if someone who enjoys cosy mysteries under Chris Hills Farrow picks up one of the sci-fi novels under the same name — only to be disappointed because the tone is completely different? Many writing guides argue that separating genres under different names helps avoid that confusion.

Because my first three published books — under Chris Hills Farrow — are all cosy mysteries, this separation also helps me preserve a consistent tone and identity for that body of work.

🚀 Creative Freedom & Artistic Identity

Using different pen names isn’t just about packaging. It also gives me — and many authors — creative freedom. Under a pseudonym, you can explore different voices, narrative structures, or themes without being burdened by what readers of your “main” name expect.

For me, Chris Hills Farrow and Orlan Drake are not simply two names — they are two creative identities. Under each identity I can lean into what feels natural: under Chris Hills Farrow, the cozy-mystery sensibilities (for now) or more serious mysteries/thrillers; under Orlan Drake, the wonder, world-building, and speculative freedom that belong to fantasy or sci-fi.

That separation lets me adapt tone, pacing, themes, character types — everything — to fit what the genre calls for, without worrying that some readers might feel alienated.

🛡️ Privacy, Identity, and Brand Integrity

Another useful aspect of pen names is the ability to separate personal identity from author identity — though in my case, Chris Hills Farrow is my real name. Still, even when an author uses a pseudonym, that name becomes a brand: a promise to the reader about tone, subject matter, and emotional experience.

A pen name can also be more memorable, more genre-appropriate, or better aligned with marketing strategies than a given real name.
In short: a pen name helps preserve brand integrity. Especially when you write in different genres (as I do) — you don’t want your cozy-mystery readers repeatedly disappointed because they stumbled into sci-fi by accident, and vice versa.

📈 Marketing & Discoverability: Why It Matters in the Digital Era

Beyond creative and personal reasons, there is a pragmatic, business-oriented reason: marketing and discoverability. In today’s publishing landscape — especially online or self-publishing — algorithms, shelving categories, and genre-based marketing matter. Having a tight, coherent brand for each genre helps retailers (and recommendation algorithms) — and readers — find and recommend your books more easily.

For authors writing across multiple genres regularly, pen names become a strategic tool to manage separate “catalogues” without confusing any one audience.

Given that my cozy-mystery books under Chris Hills Farrow establish a certain tone and expectation, and that my fantasy/sci-fi under Orlan Drake likely attract a different reader demographic, this separation helps each identity grow at its own pace without interference.

🧑‍💼 My Specific Decision: Chris Hills Farrow & Orlan Drake

Given all of the above — and given the fact that under Chris Hills Farrow I write cosy mysteries (so far), mysteries and thrillers — using two names simply made sense for me. Here’s what I get:

• Clarity for readers: Someone looking for a cozy mystery picks up a Chris Hills Farrow novel. Someone craving world-building, epic fantasy, or speculative sci-fi picks up an Orlan Drake.
• Creative focus: Under each name I maintain a consistent tone, style, and voice without worrying about genre-crossing shock or mismatched expectations.
• Professional separation and brand integrity: Each pen name becomes associated with a distinct “promise” to the reader — genre, tone, style — building trust over time.
• Room to grow: As I continue writing — maybe branching from cosy mysteries into darker thrillers under Chris Hills Farrow — I can keep building the brand without compromising Orlan Drake’s identity (or vice versa).

✨ Conclusion: Pen Names as a Map — Not a Mask

Pen names are more than just masks to hide behind. For many writers (myself included), they are maps — guiding different stories, different genre territories, different creative personas.
By writing as Chris Hills Farrow and Orlan Drake, I don’t feel constrained. Instead, I give each story the identity it deserves. Cozy mysteries, mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, sci-fi — each gets room to breathe, to evolve, to find the right readers.

If you’re an author writing in different genres — especially ones as different as cozy mystery and fantasy/sci-fi — I encourage you to consider whether a pen-name strategy might help. It might just give you the clarity, freedom and brand strength you need to build meaningful readerships.