November 17, 2025

Writing Podcast Episode 690: Ian Scott explores the weird and wonderful world of literary 'Pen Names'

55 minutes

When Ian Scott and Kirsty McHugh – curators at the National Library of Scotland – created an exhibition on pen names, they never imagined it would become a book. But that’s exactly what happened, and in this episode, Ian joins to discuss some of the curious motivations and stories behind some of the world’s most famous and infamous pseudonyms in their book Pen Names – including examples of authors who fully immersed themselves in their imaginary personas!

00:00 Welcome
00:18 Rewriting your personal narrative
07:06 Writing tip: Tracking your time
10:05 WIN!: The Funeral Crashers by Joanna Nell
13:33 Word of the week: ‘Edentulous’
14:14 The world of words: Short forms of ‘until’
16:10 Writer in residence: Ian Scott
16:57 The inspiration for the book Pen Names
18:42 An exhibition on pen names
23:00 The stories behind the stories
27:00 Common reasons for pen names
27:58 Gender bias in literature
31:55 Other reasons for not using your own name
32:10 Famous examples
34:55 Authors wanting to be judged independently
38:47 Deceptive use of a pen name: Fiona Macleod
40:55 Modern pen names and marketability
43:19 Collaborative writing under one name
45:01 Authors like Lee Child and book cover real estate
46:49 Would Ian choose a pen name for himself?
48:45 Wait – is his co-writer Kirsty McHugh even real?
50:30 Is his book in his own library?
53:02 Final thoughts