Like film industries heroines (sometimes heroes as well), writers do have pen names (name they use to accredit their literary works inspite using their original names).
There may be different reasons behind this trend. One of the reason is to keep secrecy. Many women writers used male names to publish their works , when women writers were not acceptable in society.
What do you think are the other reasons behind using pen names?
Also share interesting pen names you have come through?
Re: Pen names
Maybe someone in the industry was already famous with the similar name that’s why the newbies had to choose something different.
Re: Pen names
J.K. Rowling told in an interview how she choose her pen name
I found this info from her wikipedia page
Although she writes under the pen name “J. K. Rowling”, pronounced like rolling,[SUP][/SUP] her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply “Joanne Rowling”. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling.
Re: Pen names
but there was no Allah Wasai in industry compelling change of name by a new comer to ‘Noor Jehan’ 
Re: Pen names
Interesting and I though Harry Potter’s writer is a man 
Re: Pen names
Noor jehan was born as Allah Wasai ? 
now i wonder how would Allah Wasai look in a sarhi 
Re: Pen names
and still you didn’t read that series? 
she has been in the news ever since the last ten years and you thought she was a MAN
Re: Pen names
and Meera was born as Irtiza Shah. kafi mardana naam hai
Re: Pen names
She was not in news on Hero TV 
Re: Pen names
and shehnaz sheikh was a Hockey player :sid:
Re: Pen names
Hero TV 
Re: Pen names
I don’t watch hockey, but yes many Pashtun names are unisex (including Shehnaz) 
Re: Pen names
How can we forget the great Actor Shakeel who was born as Yousuf kamal but, was bound to change his name because there was one already.
He came, he saw, he conquered
and i still don’t know who Yousuf kamal is
Re: Pen names
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s daughter Zaib-un-Nisa used to write poetry after wearing burqa with the name ‘Makhfi - hidden’ 
Re: Pen names
I came across him when i was searching for the actress Shehnaz sheikh.
Try it you will know
Re: Pen names
Re: Pen names
She not only wrote poetry with the pen name ‘Makhfi’, but she hidden her lover (Governor of Punjab) in baRi wali Daig fearing Aurangzaib.
Re: Pen names
There was a Kamal and another Yousuf Khan in Pakistani film industry. People in film industry also changed names as they found their names old fashioned like Shabnam’s real name is Jharna.
Re: Pen names
And if someone would have turned on the flames? and tried to cook a lovers biryani 
Re: Pen names
I think there must be a long long list of people changing their names in our industry