A Chritmas Kindness by C.C. Geory

Eight-year-old Robert is eager to share his wish list with Santa at the mall on Christmas Eve. When he meets Glenn, who has only one request for Santa, Robert is confused over what he should do. Can he cast aside what he wants and ask Santa to bring his new friend a special gift?

Why the Pen Name?

Ever since I told my friends about A Christmas Kindness (available soon from 4RV Publishing), the one question they have asked the most is: “Why the pen name?”

There is this funny term out there called “branding.” I’ve read about it on various agent blogs. Simply put, it’s how you market your work. Say Beverly Lewis or Suzanne Woods Fisher and you think Amish fiction. Say Stephen King and you expect horror novels. If you’re looking for a mystery suspense novel, Lisa Gardner might come to mind. An author who chooses a genre and sticks with it is attractive to agents and publishers. And readers come to depend on a certain type of book when they seek out your name. 

I figured, the way I might best serve my writing career is to keep my faith-based books separate from my secular ones. Little did I know how challenging that decision would be.

It requires the creation and maintenance of separate social media accounts, and the expense of maintaining two websites. It means being conscious of not releasing a book under one name at the same time I’m releasing a book under the other name, making them compete against each other for sales. And, as I’m discovering, it takes a fair amount of time.

Overall, I still think it was a good choice, but only time will tell. 

Have you ever used a pen name? What made you consider it? Are you happy with your decision?

Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season and a happy New Year!

Cheryl Malandrinos, writing as C. C. Gevry, is a children’s author and editor. She is a member of SCBWI. A Christmas Kindness is her first book with 4RV Publishing. Visit her online at http://ccgevry.com

 

Follow Cheryl on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003698189011

Follow her on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/CCGevry

Cheryl will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC, one autographed copy of A Christmas Kindness (as soon as available), and one autographed copy of Little Shepherd. This promotion will run from December 17th – December 21st. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email, and announced on December 24th.

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below or visit http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2012/12/13/pump-up-your-book-presents-a-christmas-kindness-book-blast-25-amazon-gc-free-books/ for details on how you can enter for your chance to win.

Rafflecopter code:

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