Making a Name for Myself

So I had this dilemma that I resolved, but in the process it created another problem. (Isn’t that always the way?)

I’ve written articles for professional journals in education and I’m the author of a well-known professional publication that’s used as a textbook in major universities across the country. Don’t be impressed. The net royalties from this book have paid for a couple of really nice dinners.  More importantly, however, my writing has earned me a certain amount of respect that I enjoy from others in my field.

The problem arose when I decided to write fiction that’s somewhat provocative, perhaps even controversial, and this might cause the parents of my kindergarten students to wonder what their teacher does outside of the classroom. My colleagues might understand but I didn’t want there to be any confusion when their undergrad students searched for the textbook by the author’s name - my name.

So, I decided I needed a pseudonym for my fiction work. A pen name.  A nom de plume.  I created one, just like I created names for my characters. Dilemma solved.

The problem now is promoting the novel. I am now as much a fictional character as the characters in my book. In fact, I am a fictional character in my book.  I’ve created a fictional persona with a fictional Facebook page and a fictional Twitter account, and oh, look at what you’re reading: a fictional blog. Sort of.

I’m open to ideas. How do you market a product without attaching yourself to it? If you’ve done this and have suggestions, I’m all ears. Just make sure you send them to my fictional address.